Israeli researchers recently discovered a lead projectile dating from the Hellenistic period in the ancient palace at Yavne, an archaeological site in central Israel.
The 4.4 centimeter (1.7 inch) long projectile was designed to be launched from a sling. It is estimated to be 2,200 years old, placing it at the time of the battles between the Chashmonaim and the Seleucid Empire.
“It seems that we will not be able to know for sure if the projectile belonged to a Greek soldier,” said Pablo Bezer and Daniel Varga, managers of the Yavne archaeological site for the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“But it is not impossible that it is related to the conflict between the Greeks and the Hasmoneans. In the second century B.C.E., Yavne was pagan—an ally of the Seleucids [the Greeks who ruled Israel], and was subject to attacks by the Hasmonean armies,” they added.
The projectile bears a Greek inscription: “Victory for Heracles and Hauron.”
The find is rare, said Yulia Ustinova of Ben-Gurion University, who decoded the inscription. “Lead bullets are known in the ancient world starting from the 5th century B.C.E, but in Israel few individual bullets have been found with inscriptions on them.” JNS
Amazing, right before a yom tov, they found something . It’s right out of the playbook. It happens every year! Different holiday different find.
It’s actually a great idea to “find” something right before Holidays like Chanukah which can “enlighten” Zionist Misyavnim to the story of Chanukah and why we celebrate it.
yeah right
“It seems that we will not be able to know for sure if the projectile belonged to a Greek soldier,”
Also
The projectile bears a Greek inscription: “Victory for Heracles and Hauron.”
So I’d venture an educated guess and say this bullet belonged to either one of the Chashmonoim’s fighters. Either that, or, possibly, it belonged to one of the Persian troops under command of Haman (when he and Mordechai were commanders in the army of Achashveirosh). That soldier gifted the bullet to Mordechai as a token of appreciation for saving them from hunger, and it was kept in the family of Mordechai for generations until it was lost at Yavne.