World's Oldest Poisoned Arrow Discovered: A Sign of Advanced Human Thought

Archaeologists have identified traces of two toxic plant alkaloids on two prehistoric arrowheads found at Umhlatuzana, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.The artifacts were recovered from a deposit dating back around 60,000 years, placing these poisoned weapons in the Late Pleistocene. The findings were published in Science Advances. Marlize Lombard, a professor at the University of Johannesburg, said: “This is the oldest direct evidence that humans used poison on arrows.” “This shows that our ancestors in southern Africa not only invented the bow and arrow much earlier than previously thought, but also understood how to use nature’s chemistry to increase hunting efficiency,” she added. The poisonous compounds identified on the arrowheads originate from plants belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, native to southern Africa.The most likely species involved is Boophone disticha, historically associated with the use of arrow poisons. Comparison of ancient residues To confirm the discovery, researchers compared ancient residues with poisons extracted from arrowheads used in South Africa during the 18th century.Sven Isaksson, a professor at University of Stockholm, explained: “Finding traces of the same poison on both prehistoric and historical arrowheads was crucial.” “By carefully studying the chemical structure of the substances, we were able to determine that these particular compounds are stable enough to survive in the soil for such long periods,” he said. Before this discovery, the oldest known poisoned artifact dated to the mid-Holocene. According to several researchers, poisoned arrows were not designed to kill animals instantly, but to weaken them gradually over time. Anders Högberg, a professor at Linnaeus University, noted: “The use of poison on arrows requires planning, patience, and an understanding of cause and effect – a clear sign of advanced thinking in early humans.” Related stories Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.