“Aerial Insults: The Tradition of Inscribing Lead Sling-Bullets in Antiquity”
By Brandon Olson
MILITARY HISTORY BLOG
February 12, 2008

Typically, when one ponders the use of the sling in antiquity the first image that comes to mind is the story of how David slew Goliath. The exact origins of the sling, however, are not precisely known. Classical authors such as Strabo, Vegetius, Thucydides, and Pliny attribute the invention of the sling to several groups including the Aetolians, Baleares, Acarnanians, and Phoenicians.[1] The most renowned slingers attested to in the ancient Mediterranean include those from Acarnania, Aetolia, Thessaly, the Balearic Islands, and Rhodes. The earliest archaeological evidence for the sling came from the fourteenth-century tomb of Tutankhamen.[2] Based on the historical and archaeological evidence, it appears that the sling became a popular weapon as early as the Neolithic period.[3] It functioned throughout antiquity and was particularly popular beginning in the late Bronze Age through the Roman periods.

One interesting phenomenon regarding the use of the sling in antiquity concerns the presence of inscriptions on sling-bullets. . . . .

Continued at:
http://militaryhistoryblog.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/aerial-insults-the-tradition-of-inscribing-lead-sling-bullets-in-antiquity
The Tradition of Inscribing Lead Sling-Bullets

Looks like either the author of the blog discounted the Lahun artifact dates or didn't know about them.............

Marc Adkins



Neander97 wrote on Jun 17^th, 2009 at 1:18am:

“Aerial Insults: The Tradition of Inscribing Lead Sling-Bullets in Antiquity” By Brandon Olson MILITARY HISTORY BLOG February 12, 2008 Typically, when one ponders the use of the sling in antiquity the first image that comes to mind is the story of how David slew Goliath. The exact origins of the sling, however, are not precisely known. Classical authors such as Strabo, Vegetius, Thucydides, and Pliny attribute the invention of the sling to several groups including the Aetolians, Baleares, Acarnanians, and Phoenicians.[1] The most renowned slingers attested to in the ancient Mediterranean include those from Acarnania, Aetolia, Thessaly, the Balearic Islands, and Rhodes. The earliest archaeological evidence for the sling came from the fourteenth-century tomb of Tutankhamen.[2] Based on the historical and archaeological evidence, it appears that the sling became a popular weapon as early as the Neolithic period.[3] It functioned throughout antiquity and was particularly popular beginning in the late Bronze Age through the Roman periods. One interesting phenomenon regarding the use of the sling in antiquity concerns the presence of inscriptions on sling-bullets. . . . . Continued at: http://militaryhistoryblog.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/aerial-insults-the-tradition-of-inscribing-lead-sling-bullets-in-antiquity The Tradition of Inscribing Lead Sling-Bullets

Loved the one inscription " Sing like a cuckoo."  At least they had a sense of humor.

I can't help smiling at "pete culum Octaviani". What if it had?

We need to see the full publication of the Stymphalos sling bullets by Hagerman, but I must say the cuckoo and the "cringe like a dog" seem to me exceedingly unlikely (the verb 'sainw" in fact means to great joyfully like a dog, and is only used in poetry)

Sounds kind of like the way U.S. Airmen write stuff on bombs in WWII and even today.  ;)