An ancient “bullet” has been discovered inscribed with what scientists believe is a message for whoever might have been unlucky enough to be on the receiving end. The 1.3-inch-long projectile is made of lead and is thought to have been used in a slingshot weapon used by the Ancient Greeks in battle.

Using a slingshot warriors could fling the heavy piece of metal, weighing around 45 grams, for distances of up to around 1,000 metres, effectively making it a very early version of a bullet. Being hit by the flying piece of metal could cause serious injury or even death as skilled slingshot operators could hurl the pieces of metal at speeds of up to 100mph.

This particular remnant of ancient warfare was discovered by archaeologists from the University of Haifa, in Israel, working at the site of the city of Hippos (also known as Sussita) which was built around 2,000 years ago close to the inland Sea of Galilee.

What startled researchers is that this bullet bears a message for whoever it struck, as written in Ancient Greek, in the lead are the words “Learn your lesson”.

According to Live Science, the Greek letters ΜΑΘΟΥ are inscribed on the lead and the study authors have interpreted that inscription as a form of the Greek word “mathaíno,” which means “learn,” and they think the spelling indicates it was an imperative that meant something like “Learn your lesson”.

Michael Eisenberg, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa, said in a statement: “Sling lead bullets of this type are well known in archaeological research from many sites dating to the Hellenistic period, particularly from the second century BCE … but this is the first in the world to bear the inscription ‘Learn’.

“This represents local sarcastic humor on the part of the city’s defenders, who wished to teach their enemies a lesson with a wink.”

Eisenberg and his colleagues reported the findings on March 10 in the journal Palestine Exploration Quarterly.

The report explains: “The item was recovered with a metal detector within the Southern Necropolis, close to the bed of the Sussita Stream, where an ancient road passed.

“The bullet, most probably launched by the city defenders at attackers coming up the road, carries Greek letters ΜΑΘΟΥ.

“This previously unattested inscription can be interpreted as a sarcastic imperative addressed to the enemy, ‘learn your lesson’ The find joins the group of 69 lead sling bullets encountered at Hippos.”

The report added: “The inscribed bullet, as well as other slingshots found at the site, could have been used in any of the several battles during the Hellenistic period in which Hippos was involved.

“The first was before the city’s establishment, during the Ptolemaic rule, when a fortress stood atop the hill. It was conquered during the Battle of Paneion, around 199BC by the Seleucids, who subsequently established the polis of Hippos in this location.”