60,000-Year-Old Arrowheads Contain the Oldest Evidence of Poisoned Weapons
Hunters in southern Africa 60,000 years ago, may have been turning simple stone-tipped arrows into chemically enhanced weapons. A new finding suggests poison use was already part of hunting technology tens of thousands of years ago.
Published in Science Advances, researchers have identified microscopic traces of plant-based poison on ancient quartz arrowheads recovered from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter. The discovery marks the oldest direct evidence of poisoned arrows yet found, showing that early hunters combined weapon-making with detailed knowledge of toxic plants.
“This is the oldest direct evidence that humans used arrow poison. It 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,” said Marlize Lombard, a researcher at the Palaeo-Research Institute at the University of Johannesburg, in a press release.
Using Poison to Hunt in the Stone Age
Poison changes what a hunting weapon can do. Instead of requiring an immediate kill, a poisoned arrow allows hunters to strike from a distance and rely on delayed effects — weakening prey over time rather than bringing it down on impact. That strategy can reduce risk, expand the range of animals that can be hunted, and reshape how hunts unfold.
The challenge for archaeologists has always been proving that poison was actually used. Organic compounds rarely survive long in the environment, and stone tools alone can’t reveal what was once applied to their surfaces. In this case, researchers focused on microscopic chemical residues preserved on ancient quartz arrowheads, searching for molecular traces that could point to specific toxic substances.
Read More: Stone Age Tools Found in Central African Cave Were Remarkably Stable for 5,000 Years
Chemical Evidence of Arrow Poison
The analyses revealed two alkaloids — buphanidrine and epibuphanisine — compounds produced by Boophone disticha, a highly toxic plant native to southern Africa and still known today for its poisonous properties. Both substances can interfere with the nervous system and are potent even in small amounts, making them well suited for use on hunting weapons.
To confirm the identification, the researchers compared the chemical signatures from the prehistoric arrowheads with residues found on much younger poisoned arrows collected in southern Africa roughly 250 years ago and now held in Swedish museum collections. The same compounds appeared in both cases.
“Finding traces of the same poison on both prehistoric and historical arrowheads was crucial,” said Sven Isaksson, who carried out the chemical analyses. “By carefully studying the chemical structure of the substances and thus drawing conclusions about their properties, we were able to determine that these particular substances are stable enough to survive this long in the ground,” he continued. “It’s also fascinating that people had such a deep and long-standing understanding of the use of plants.”
The overlap suggests that knowledge of gifbol’s toxic effects wasn’t short-lived or accidental, but part of a hunting tradition that endured for tens of thousands of years.
Early Human Hunting
Using poison effectively requires more than identifying a dangerous plant. Hunters must understand how to process it, how long it remains active, and how its effects unfold after a weapon strikes. Those decisions shape when and where animals are tracked, how long a hunt lasts, and what outcomes are possible.
“Using arrow poison requires planning, patience and an understanding of cause and effect. It is a clear sign of advanced thinking in early humans,” said Anders Högberg, a professor at Linnaeus University.
The findings add chemical evidence to a growing picture of early modern humans as careful experimenters — people who combined toolmaking with detailed ecological knowledge and long-term planning. In this case, traces of that expertise have survived not in bones or artifacts alone, but in molecules still clinging to stone.
Read More: Stone Age People Traveled Miles To Source Stunning Raw Materials, Like Red Jasper, for Tools
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