Research published today in the journal Science Advances reveals that hunter-gatherers in southern Africa utilized poison on their arrow tips approximately 60,000 years ago. This finding indicates that the use of poisoned weapons dates back much earlier than the previously recognized mid-Holocene period, which was around 7,000 to 5,000 years ago.
The study, which involved co-authors Sven Isaksson of Stockholm University, Anders Hogberg from Linnaeus University, and Marlize Lombard of the University of Johannesburg, focused on quartz arrow tips discovered at the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Analysis of these artifacts revealed residues of plant-derived alkaloids, specifically buphandrine and epibuphanisine, likely extracted from the local poison bulb plant, Boophone disticha.
This advancement in hunting techniques highlights the cognitive skills of early humans, as knowledge of poisonous plants would have been crucial for successfully employing such methods. The ability to predict animal behavior in response to the poison further underscores the intellectual capabilities of Homo sapiens during this time.