These 60,000-year-old poison arrows are oldest yet found

Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in South Africa, unearthing quartz arrowheads that date back an astonishing 60,000 years. These artifacts provide the earliest known evidence of poison being used on hunting projectiles, a significant advancement in our understanding of prehistoric hunting strategies. Historically, poisoned arrows have been utilized by various cultures across the globe for both hunting and warfare. Ancient texts from Greek and Roman civilizations, as well as myths from Greek literature, illustrate the use of poisoned weapons. Similarly, Chinese warriors, Gauls, Scythians, and many Native American tribes employed similar tactics. This new research, published in Science Advances, pushes the timeline of poison arrow usage back into the Pleistocene era, highlighting a cognitively complex approach to hunting. The study reveals that the poisonous substances used in these ancient arrows could have originated from either plants or animals. For instance, curare, known for its muscle-relaxing properties, can lead to death by asphyxiation. Other plants such as oleander and various species of milkweed contain toxic cardiac glucosides. In Southeast Asia, the ancar tree's sap is applied to arrowheads, causing severe physiological reactions including paralysis and cardiac arrest due to the presence of potent toxins. Prior to this discovery, the oldest evidence of poisoned arrows was thought to be from the mid-Holocene period, with traces of toxic residues found on 4,000-year-old bone-tipped arrows in Egypt and on arrow points from South Africa dating back 6,700 years. Additionally, a previous find at Border Cave hinted at the use of poisons for hunting, involving a 'poison applicator' alongside beeswax. The recent study involved sampling ten quartz arrowheads from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal. Remarkably, five of these tips contained traces of Boophone disticha, also known as the gifbol or poisonous onion, which is prevalent throughout South Africa. This plant has historically served both as an analgesic and as a means of lethal hunting, with its more toxic compounds capable of inducing hallucinations, coma, or even death. This discovery not only sheds light on early human ingenuity but also underscores the significant role of natural toxins in ancient survival strategies.