Previously archaeologists thought the holes were used to
hold poison, but experiments revealed this to be an ineffective technique.
The insight into the purpose of these holes came from an
unlikely source.
Archaeologist
John Reid was discussing the problem of the sling bullet holes when his brother, an avid fisherman, suggested the holes would create a whistling noise
in flight. Reid, initially doubtful, soon realized his brother was on to something.
"I said,
'Don't be stupid; you've no idea what you're talking about. You're
not an archaeologist,'" Reid joked. "And he said, 'No, but I'm a
fisherman, and when I cast my line with lead weights that have got holes in
them like that, they whistle.'"
"Suddenly,
a light bulb came on in my head — that's what they're about. They're for making
a noise," Reid said.
Archaeologists now believe that these sling bullets were
used to intimidate and frighten in close quarter combat.
While this particular revelation is primarily of interest to Roman
Archaeologists, we can all learn a lesson from Reid’s experience. Consider his
position – he’s an expert, he’s spent his entire career thinking about history
and archaeology. If anyone can figure out the purpose of these tiny holes it’s
him. But all this knowledge, education, and years of experience failed to
provide the answer that was obvious to his brother, the fisherman.
It’s easy to fall back to our comfort zone and rely on our
experience and training. And for good reason – we put in all this hard work to
get where we are. But we also risk missing something that seems clear and plain
from another point of view. The key is to recognize when our experience simply
isn’t enough.
Photo - attribution - Creative Commons - By Peter van der Sluijs (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
