People were already hunting with poisoned arrows 60,000 years ago

The proven toxins probably come from the fan lily Boophone disticha, whose ingredients are still used today in South Africa as arrow poison, but also as a remedy.

"To our knowledge, we present the first direct evidence for the use of this plant toxin on the tips of hunting weapons," writes a research team led by Sven Isaksson from Stockholm University in the journal "Science Advances". The discovery underlines the complexity of survival strategies and mental abilities even at that time.

The chronology: Homo sapiens left Africa around 60,000 years ago; according to current knowledge, they only reached Central Europe around 50,000 years ago. According to the researchers, the earliest direct evidence to date of the use of poisoned arrows is a good 4,000 years old and comes from an ancient Egyptian tomb.

"Planning ahead"

The small quartz arrowheads now presented come from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in eastern South Africa. The layer of earth in which the blades were found is therefore around 60,000 years old. The team found traces of toxins on five of the ten small tips, in particular the plant's main active ingredient, buphandrin.

According to the researchers, the wounds inflicted by the arrows did not necessarily kill larger animals directly, but the poison weakened them and made the prey easier to kill. For such a procedure, the people had to know the behavior of the animals exactly and at the same time have a good knowledge of the local flora, it is said.

"Since poison has a chemical effect, the hunters had to rely on forward planning, abstraction and causal thinking," the group writes. "They therefore had a knowledge system that enabled them to effectively identify, extract and apply poisonous plant extracts."

Effectiveness depends on preparation

According to the team, the most likely source of the toxins was the milky sap from the bulb of Boophone disticha. The amaryllis plant is also known locally as the "poison bulb" (gifbol). The milky secretion of the bulb dries in the sun to a rubbery consistency and is then ready for use.

In rodents, the poison can lead to death within 20 to 30 minutes, even in small quantities, and can also cause symptoms such as nausea, muscle flaccidity and respiratory paralysis in humans. "Its effectiveness as a hunting poison depends on the preparation and dosage," the group emphasizes.

Other historical sources, for example from the 18th century by the Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg, describe the use of the poison for hunting springbok at the time. The chemical stability of the substances is remarkable: it ensures that the toxins are still detectable on the stone tips after tens of thousands of years.