The University of Haifa announced Sunday the discovery of a sling bullet — an oval lead projectile fired from a sling — that was unearthed on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee during an archaeological dig. The ancient bullet was inscribed with the words “Learn your lesson” and may have been fired by a Greek soldier during a defensive campaign as a Hasmonean army led by King Alexander Jannaeus attempted to take the city in 101 BCE, a conquest that turned out to be successful, roughly 60 years after the Chanukah story took place.

Sling bullets were often made of lead, as it was a cheap material, and a few bullets have been found inscribed with words or images. However, the sling bullet recently found is the only one bearing the words, “Learn your lesson,” according to Michael Eisenberg, co-director of the excavation at the site.

“Sling bullets were made of lead, and were the most common munitions in the Hellenistic world,” Eisenberg said in an interview. “They were the cheapest ones, simple and very effective.”

“In the larger Israel-Syria region, many times you will see a group of thunderbolts tied up together as the ultimate weapon of Zeus, the head of the Greek pantheon, sometimes a trident, the weapon of [god of the Sea] Poseidon,” he added. “There are very rare cases when the bullets carry an inscription.”

While most of the inscribed bullets that have been found so far bear the names of cities or military commanders, the occasional jokester would inscribe his bullet with a sarcastic message, such as “Catch.” The new find appears to be a message telling the person it struck to learn his lesson and not fight the Greeks, a lesson that apparently had little effect.