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What is it?
This almond-shaped lead object is a type of Roman projectile known as a glans inscripta (‘inscribed bullet’). Measuring 4.5cm by 2cm by 1.7cm and weighing 71g, it has a dent at one end, probably the result of having been launched from a slingshot in antiquity. The weight of the projectile, as well as its inscription, dates it to the Roman civil wars in Hispania in the 1st century BC. On either side, raised letters spell out the words ‘IPSCA’ and ‘CAES’. ‘IPSCA’ is thought to be the name of a local town, while ‘CAES’ is interpreted as an abbreviation of ‘Julius Caesar’. The words are therefore believed to be an expression of Ipsca’s support for Caesar during the conflict.
Where was it found, and when?
The object was discovered near the city of Montilla in Andalusia, southern Spain, during agricultural work. In 2019, it was reported to archaeologists, who went on to carry out further research. It is believed that the projectile probably ended up there when it was shot during combat. Significantly, the area near Montilla has been proposed as a possible location for the Battle of Munda, Caesar’s final fight against the supporters of his enemy Pompey and Pompey’s sons in 45 BC. This key event marked Caesar’s definitive victory in Hispania, following which he returned to Rome and was appointed leader of the Roman Republic. While the glans inscripta does not provide direct evidence of the Battle of Munda, it does prove that conflicts took place around Montilla.
Why does it matter?
The object’s inscription is unusual for several reasons. ‘Ipsca’ is the first toponym found on a slingshot bullet in the Iberian Peninsula, and one of just a few documented on this type of object at all. It is also the first epigraphic reference to Ipsca itself, as the town is not mentioned in any of the historical records documenting Caesar’s wars in Hispania. Meanwhile, the inscription on the other side of the object makes it – with one possible exception – the first glans inscripta discovered with an inscription referencing Gaius Julius Caesar himself (rather than his troops), not just in Hispania but in the entire known corpus of these objects.
The find is important, too, because of what it can tell us about this critical moment in Roman history. The inscription suggests that the indigenous occupants of Ipsca were loyal to Caesar, making ammunition for his forces, or perhaps even supplying troops of slingers (funditores) for his army. This is particularly significant because most other cities in Hispania were on the side of Pompey’s forces. The support of previously unrecognised places like Ipsca may have been key to Caesar’s victory and subsequently to the eventual fall of the Roman Republic and the creation of the Roman Empire, which followed Caesar’s assassination.
SEE FOR YOURSELF: The research has been published in the journal Zephyrus (https://doi.org/10.14201/zephyrus202391183195).
Text: Amy Brunskill / Photos: J Moralejo, J A Morena
