Roman sling bullet

The armies of Mediterranean Antiquity had units of slingers.

The oldest slings attested by archaeology are the braided linen ones found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, who died around 1325 BC.

Those used somewhat later in the Trojan War by Ajax’s troops are described as braids of wool.

The Romans (slingers are depicted, for example, on Trajan’s Column) also had slingers in their armies: at the time of the Punic Wars, the inhabitants of the Balearic Islands provided particularly renowned units.

The number of Roman sling bullets found is beyond counting. Their main characteristic was that they were always biconical (olive-shaped), although the shape of the points varied greatly. They were almost always marked with a text: it could be the maker, the legion, a good-luck charm, an insult... What mattered was that a slinger always used the same bullets with the same weight, so as to remain accurate in his shooting.

These bullets, marked CAESAR.IMP, weigh 44 g.