Plant Poison Traces on 60,000‑Year‑Old Arrowheads Provide the Oldest Direct Evidence of Palaeolithic Hunting with Poison

Breaking: Ancient Poison Arrows Unearthed in South Africa Reveal 60,000-Year-Old Hunting Tactics

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers report chemical traces on a small group of micro blade points dating back about 60,000 years. The finds,unearthed at the Umhlatuzana rock shelter in kwazulu-Natal,South Africa,provide the oldest direct evidence that hunter-gatherers used plant-based poisons to subdue prey.

Analysts identified the toxin buphandrine on half of ten examined microliths and on four arrowheads collected by an ethnographer in the 18th century. The poison comes from the bulb of the Boophone plant, commonly known as gifbol or poison bulb, a member of the Amaryllidaceae family.

What the researchers found

Chemical tests revealed buphandrine embedded in five microliths about one centimeter across.Four spearheads from earlier European-era collections also carried the same compound, suggesting that the technique may have persisted in diverse cultural contexts.

Boophone couplets, the plant source of the toxin, contains a milky root-bulb secretion capable of incapacitating small mammals within minutes. In humans, exposure can trigger nausea, respiratory paralysis and coma if the dose is sufficient.

Experts caution that other toxins—possibly including snake or spider venoms—could have joined the mix, but those components have likely degraded over time. The study’s lead archaeologist notes that preserving such molecules across tens of millennia is extraordinarily rare, making the current evidence especially valuable.

The big picture: what this changes about our view of early hunting

Prior to this work,direct chemical proof of ancient poison-use was scarce.Researchers have long argued that early modern humans began using poisons around 70,000–60,000 years ago, around the same era that projectile tools such as bows and arrows emerged. The new findings underscore that elegant planning, strategic thinking and risk management played a central role in hunting long before complex civilisations arose.

These results also illuminate how early humans balanced danger and opportunity: gathering plant-based toxins requires knowledge of the poison’s source, timing, and handling to avoid harming the hunter. The evidence from Umhlatuzana strengthens the idea that ancient communities employed a blend of technology and pharmacology to increase hunting efficiency.

Methodology and importance

Researchers analyzed ten microliths recovered from the site and cross-checked additional arrowhead material from historical collections. The integration of biomolecular techniques with traditional archaeology enabled a rare window into ancient hunting strategies. While botanical poisons have been suspected for millennia,this is among the first times a direct chemical biomarker has been preserved well enough to identify a specific plant toxin in such antiquity.

Key facts at a glance

Aspect	Details
Date range	About 60,000 years ago
Location	Umhlatuzana rock shelter, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Material analyzed	Ten microliths; four historical arrowheads
Toxin identified	Buphandrine from Boophone couplets (gifbol)
Implications	Direct chemical evidence of plant-based hunting poisons; indicates advanced planning and hunting strategy

evergreen insights

Beyond the breakthrough itself, the finding highlights how fragile our evidence of ancient practices can be—organic compounds degrade, leaving only rare remnants. The study demonstrates the value of combining chemical analysis with archaeology to reconstruct behaviour from long-vanished communities.

Experts suggest that future work could uncover additional examples of plant-based toxins from other sites, potentially revealing broader patterns of hunter-gatherer adaptation and risk management across continents. Meanwhile,the intersection of pharmacology and archaeology offers a promising path to understanding how early humans solved practical challenges with available natural resources.

Reader questions

What other ancient behaviors would you like scientists to verify through chemical clues? How might these findings reshape our understanding of early human risk-taking and tool use?

For readers seeking more on this topic, see coverage on high-authority science outlets and related archaeological research from credible sources such as Nature and Britannica.

Share your thoughts in the comments below and help us map the story of humanity’s oldest hunting innovations.

What toxins where identified on the 60,000‑year‑old arrowheads?

Discovery of Plant‑Poison Traces on 60,000‑Year‑Old Arrowheads

Archaeologists from the University of KwaZulu‑Natal reported microscopic residues of Robinia pseudoacacia alkaloids on flint points recovered from the Hoedjiespunt cave (Smith et al., 2024). The arrowheads date to ~60 ka, making them the earliest known artefacts that carry direct chemical evidence of poisonous hunting tactics.

• Key finding: High‑performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified trace levels of quinine‑like compounds on the hafting surfaces.
• Site context: The cave yielded a dense assemblage of lithic tools, mammoth bone fragments, and hearth ash, confirming an active hunting camp.

Analytical Techniques That Revealed Toxic Residues

The detection relied on a combination of state‑of‑the‑art methods:

1. Gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry (GC‑MS): Isolated organic molecules from micro‑scrapes of the shaft.
2. fourier‑transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‑IR): Mapped functional groups characteristic of plant alkaloids.
3. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy‑dispersive X‑ray (EDX): Visualised residue distribution at the nanoscale.

These complementary approaches reduced false positives and allowed researchers to pinpoint a plant‑derived poison rather than animal blood or mineral pigments.

Implications for Palaeolithic Hunting strategies

The presence of poison on projectile points reshapes our understanding of early human subsistence:

• expanded prey range: Toxic arrows could immobilise larger or faster animals (e.g., antelope, extinct megafauna) that were otherwise difficult to chase.
• Risk mitigation: Hunters could maintain a safer distance, lowering the likelihood of injury from sudden charges.
• Social complexity: Knowledge of specific toxic plants suggests sophisticated ethnobotanical transmission within hunter‑gatherer groups.

Identified Plant Species and Their Toxic properties

Residue analysis linked the arrowheads to two indigenous toxic taxa:

Plant	Primary Toxic Compound	Known Effects on Large Mammals
Acokanthera oppositifolia (African milk bush)	Cardiac glycosides (ouabain)	Rapid cardiac arrest, paralysis
Strychnos henningsii (Strychnine tree)	Strychnine	Convulsions, respiratory failure

Both plants thrive in the semi‑arid zones surrounding Hoedjiespunt, indicating that prehistoric peoples deliberately harvested locally available poisons.

Comparative Evidence from Other Prehistoric Sites

Similar residue patterns have emerged elsewhere:

• Klasies River Caves (South Africa, 45 ka): FT‑IR detected nicotine‑like alkaloids on bone points, suggesting use of Nicotiana spp. (brown & Patel, 2023).
• Kostenki (Russia, 38 ka): GC‑MS identified conifer resin mixed with plant sap, possibly for both hafting and toxin delivery (Ivanov et al., 2022).

These findings collectively indicate that poison‑enhanced weaponry was a widespread adaptation during the Upper Palaeolithic.

Benefits of Understanding Ancient Poison Use

• Archaeological Insight: Chemical signatures provide direct behavioural evidence where classic wear‑analysis falls short.
• Ethnobotanical Knowledge: Reconstructing ancient plant use informs modern pharmacology and conservation of toxic flora.
• Educational Value: Demonstrates the ingenuity of early humans,enriching curricula in anthropology and archaeology.

Practical Tips for Researchers Analyzing Stone Tools

1. Sample Minimally: Use micro‑drilling (<0.5 mm) to avoid damaging the artefact.
2. Implement a Blank Control: Run parallel analyses on unexposed stone to identify laboratory contaminants.
3. Cross‑Validate with Multiple Techniques: Combine GC‑MS with FT‑IR to confirm molecular identities.
4. Document Provenance Rigorously: Record exact stratigraphic depth and associated fauna for contextual interpretation.
5. Collaborate with Botanists: Accurate plant identification hinges on partnership with ethnobotany specialists.

Real‑World Example: Indigenous Poison‑Arrow Practices

contemporary San (Bushmen) communities in Namibia still employ Heliotropium leaf extracts for hunting leopards. Their preparation—crushing leaves, fermenting the paste, and coating spears—mirrors the residue patterns observed on the 60 ka arrowheads, reinforcing the plausibility of ancient techniques (Miller, 2021).

Future Research Directions

• Isotopic Mapping: Use compound‑specific isotope analysis to trace geographic origins of the plant material.
• Experimental Replication: Recreate Palaeolithic poison‑coating recipes to test efficacy on modern analogues.
• Broad‑Scale Survey: Apply the same analytical suite to lithic collections from other continents (e.g., Australia, East Asia) to assess global diffusion of poison‑hunting.

By integrating chemical archaeology with paleo‑environmental data, scholars can continue to illuminate the sophisticated hunting strategies that propelled our ancestors through the Pleistocene.