Archaeologists In Spain Recently Uncovered A 2,000-Year-Old Lead Bullet Engraved With The Names Of Both Julius Caesar And An Unknown City
A 2,000-year-old lead bullet inscribed with the names of Julius Caesar and an unknown city was unearthed by archaeologists in what is now known as Montilla, Spain.
The unexpected find hints that the area’s Indigenous people supported the dictator’s cause to claim control over the entirety of the Roman Empire during his civil war over 2,000 years ago.
According to history, Caesar led Rome to victory in the Gaelic Wars between 58 and 50 B.C. However, he was unwilling to give up his newfound power and returned to lead a revolution, prompting Pompey the Great, his chief political rival, to declare a state of war.
Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon River on January 10, 49 B.C., marked the start of his ultimately successful civil war.
The civil war spanned from 49 to 45 B.C. It was widespread across many regions, including Greece, Italy, Egypt, Africa, Spain, and the Balkan Peninsula.
The final conflict, known as the Battle of Munda, took place on March 17, 45 B.C., in the southern part of Spain called Andalusia. A significant number of Pompey’s troops were killed, allowing Caesar to take the victory.
It was assumed that the majority of Indigenous peoples in Spain supported Pompey the Great, but an analysis of the inscribed bullet, which was likely fired from a slingshot, has revealed details proving it served as political propaganda encouraging Caesar’s supporters that they were siding with the right cause.
Historians refer to messaging built into slingshots as “glans inscripta.” Such an artifact was not uncommon during that time period.
“In the 1st century B.C., many inscribed glandes were made because they were very useful instruments for housing short, very specific messages,” said the lead researcher of the study, Javier Moralejo Ordax, an assistant professor of archaeology at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
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The lead projectile measured 1.8 by 0.8 inches and weighed 2.5 ounces. It was made by pouring molten lead into a mold and included the inscriptions of the words “IPSCA” on one side and “CAES” on the other.
Researchers observed that part of the bullet was deformed, meaning that the damage likely occurred when it was fired into a hard object like stone or bone. They believe that “IPSCA” was the name of an ancient town involved in the civil war.
However, Ipsca was never mentioned in any of the historical records about the Spanish battles. The location where the bullet had been discovered was significant, though, as the city of Montilla is considered to be the probable location of Munda in Roman times.
The message on the projectile indicates that Ipsca supported Caesar’s rebellion rather than Pompey.
Moralejo Ordax suspects that the people of Ipsca not only supported Caesar, but they also provided ammunition and troops for the effort.
All in all, the town of Ipsca may have helped Caesar secure his victory in Spain, giving way to the rise of the Roman Empire.
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