Humans Have Been Making Poison Arrows For Over 70,000 Years, Study Finds

Science Alert ^ | Augut 8, 2020 | Tessa Koumoundouros

[SunkenCiv]

Some of the earliest solid evidence of poison use is traces of the highly toxic compound ricin on 24,000-year-old wooden applicators, found in South Africa's Border cave. However, archaeologists have long suspected this hunting technique is much older, and new evidence now suggests humans have been shooting poison arrows through the last 72,000 years.

In a new study, archaeologist Marlize Lombard from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa examined the unique properties of known poison arrows, comparing them to those that don't rely on poison, by analysing 128 bone pointed arrows.

Arrows that don't use poison need to deeply pierce the bodies of prey to effectively kill or incapacitate, whereas those laced with poison just need to stab through an animal's skin to access its bloodstream.

Using a measurement called the tip cross-sectional area (the part of the arrowhead important for both cutting into prey hide and the arrow's flight dynamics) allowed Lombard to compare arrows through time. She focused her study on bone-tipped arrows because a lot of previous work looked only at stone-tipped arrows, given more of these have been preserved.

Lombard then assessed 306 Late Stone Age bone-point arrows, for these established properties.

Six of the bone-pointed arrows dated as far back as 72,000-80,000 years, from the Blombos Cave in South Africa. Three of these arrows have properties consistent with poisoned arrowheads....

The sample size for the oldest arrows is small, and Lombard cautions that such a metric approach to weapons function can only tell us what the weapon had the potential to achieve, rather than the way they were actually used...

[DannyTN]

I think it’s on Youtube.

[DannyTN]

It makes a point.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

The Bushmen of South West Africa found a poison made from a grub worm. It is so deadly but slow acting that when they poison an arrow they put a few drops behind the arrowhead on the shaft.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I should mention that cooking the meat destroys the poison.

[Boogieman]

My favorite is “Lifeline”, but not the album version, the version from his “live” BBC special:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S9_VBRzhok

My 2nd favorite from that album is “Think About Your Troubles”. But just about anything from Harry suits me just fine.

[Deplorable American1776]

Whites been harassing blacks for over 70,000 years? 😋

I guess Blacks need money from us...

[Paleo Pete]

Oh yeah...think about your troubles is really good too. Literally the whole album is excellent, not a bad cut on it from start to finish. Loved it at first listen.

I’ve been playing Nillsson’s song “Everybody’s Talkin” onstage for years. He did several other good ones too, aside from The Point. That’s the only one I played though.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks RDdB.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3873455/posts?page=24#24

[Carriage Hill]

Thanks; I’ll break out the Ricin, in that case.

[SunkenCiv]

LOL

[Boogieman]

I’m just an amateur, but I like to play his version of Ray Charles’ “Early in the Mornin’” on keyboards, because it’s such a simple arrangement that I can sing along with it but it still sounds pretty groovy.