Scientists identified traces of poison from the South African plant gifbol on Stone Age arrowheads dating back 60,000 years, making it the oldest known arrow poison discovered anywhere in the world. This also shows that and showing that people in southern Africa had already developed advanced knowledge of toxic substances long before anyone had anticipated. Researchers from South Africa and Sweden made the discovery on 60,000 year old quartz arrowheads from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal, identifying chemical residues of poison from gifbol, a poisonous plant still used by traditional hunters in the region today. Professor Marlize Lombard of the Palaeo-Research Institute at the University of Johannesburg explained that the residue shows 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. The gifbol plant, also known as the poisonous onion, is renowned among local hunters for its highly toxic properties but has no bright colors to clue anyone in, meaning the toxicity must have been established through trial and error or other careful observations.
Using arrow poison requires planning, patience, and an understanding of cause and effect, which Professor Anders Högberg of Linnaeus University says is a clear sign of advanced thinking in early humans who didn’t just hunt constantly hoping for the best. The discovery implies early hunters had both technical skills and advanced planning abilities, taking time to prepare their equipment to maximize their chances of success in ways that show we’re probably not giving our ancestors enough credit for their intelligence and innovation.
