Stockpile of Slingshot Projectiles Unearthed at Urartian Fortress

VAN, TURKEY—Türkiye Today reports that continued excavations at the site of Cavustepe Castle revealed a remarkable cache of projectiles ready for use by Urartian soldiers around 2,700 years ago. The recent investigation focused on a storage facility and area known as the “upper fortress.” As the team began removing layers of sediment from within one structure, they uncovered a collection of egg-sized slingshots. Some had been gathered from a nearby riverbed, while others had been made from clay. While individual slingstones have sometimes been discovered at other Urartian sites, Van Yuzuncu Yil University archaeologist Rafet Cavusoglu said, this find is exceptional because such a large assemblage has never before been uncovered all at once. Given the findspot near the defensive walls, it is likely the ammunition was deliberately stockpiled in preparation for battle. Urartian slingstones could strike targets more than 650 feet away with surprising accuracy and were even capable of piercing armor. To read about projectile weapons throughout history, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World: Siege Weapons."