60,000‑Year‑Old Poisoned Arrow Tips Discovered in South Africa A team of archaeologists has uncovered ten quartz arrowheads, half of which still contain traces of a slow‑acting toxin, in the rock shelter Umhlatuzana in South Africa. The arrowheads, dated to about 60,000 years ago, represent the oldest known evidence of poisoned weapons and suggest that early hunter‑gatherers understood the pharmacological effects of plants and planned their hunting strategies accordingly. The study, led by Sven Isaksson of Stockholm University and published in Science Advances, shows that the toxin likely came from a tumbleweed‑like plant and would have weakened prey over a long period. The find pushes back the confirmed use of poison weapons by more than 50,000 years. The discovery is significant for archaeology and the history of technology, revealing sophisticated knowledge of plant chemistry and hunting tactics in the Upper Paleolithic of southern Africa. Category: Other Tags: Other Countries: South Africa People: Sven Isaksson Sentiment: Neutral

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