The world's oldest weapons factory

Israel Researchers have found evidence of a factory that specialized in making slingshot bullets from 7,200 years ago.

The bullets are of uniform shape and size. Photo: Israel Antiquities Ministry — The bullets are of uniform shape and size. Photo: *Israel Antiquities Ministry*

The oldest known war weapons factory may have been built in the early Bronze Age in what is now Israel, IFL Science reported on November 23. Based on analysis of hundreds of stone projectiles collected from two archaeological sites, researchers concluded that they were mass-produced, revealing the complete equipping of soldiers preparing for battle some 7,200 years ago.

The archaeologists examined 424 sling stones at the ancient settlements of 'En Esur and 'En Zippori, which were inhabited between 5,800 and 4,500 BC. Noting that the stones were nearly identical, the researchers determined that they were made to a specific standard, with an average length of 52 mm, width of 31 mm and weight of 60 g.

The slingshot was smooth and had a slightly pointed shape at both ends, allowing for accurate and efficient firing, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. In an accompanying study published in the journal 'Atiqot, the scientists explain that the pointed design was thought to be optimal for slingshot projectiles, which were later adopted by both Greek and Roman armies.

In fact, these stones are the earliest evidence of warfare in the Southern Levant. Their similarity in shape points to large-scale industrial production. The uniformity in weight, shape, and size of the sling stones suggests they were systematically produced for use by soldiers with standardized slingshots, allowing them to train effectively.

Putting the discovery into historical context, the authors suggest that the apparent shift from ordinary throwing stones (like natural pebbles) to highly standardized weapons may reveal the development of organized warfare in the early Bronze Age, a possibility made more likely by the increased scale of settlement in the Southern Levant at that time.

Throwing stones are often found in clusters, providing evidence of their use. The researchers say this arrangement suggests that projectiles were fired en masse by a group of archers. In war, this could have caused enemy formations to break apart. Interestingly, such mass weapons suddenly disappear from the archaeological record about a millennium later, though it is unclear whether this indicates a decline in conflict in the region.

An Khang (According to IFL Science )

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