“A 7,000-year-old toxin. years World’s Oldest Arrow Poison Found in South Africa January 27, 9:30 PM Saved to Reading List → Read Later Share: Poison Arrows in Remains (Photo: Bradfield, J., Dubery, I.A. & Steenkamp, PA, iScience) Author: Kira Borysikhina Scientists have made a sensational discovery that rewrites the history of mankind. During the excavations in the Kruger Cave”, — write on: ua.news
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Read laterPoison darts in remains (Photo: Bradfield, J., Dubery, I.A. and Steenkamp, PA, iScience)
Scientists have made a sensational discovery that rewrites the history of mankind.
Excavations in the Kruger Cave in South Africa have revealed the world’s oldest multi-component arrow poison. The age of the find is estimated at 7000 years.
Researchers discovered an antelope femur with three bone arrowheads stuck in it. A detailed chemical analysis of the remains revealed that the tips were coated with a complex mixture of plant poisons, including cardiac glycosides and ricinoleic acid. This shows that ancient people had a deep knowledge of the properties of plants and knew how to create effective poisons for hunting.
The amazing fact is that the plants that contained these toxins did not grow in the immediate vicinity of Kruger Cave. This suggests that ancient people actively traded and exchanged knowledge about plants over considerable distances. This discovery calls into question previous ideas about ancient trade networks and the level of development of civilizations at that time.
The study also highlights the importance of traditional knowledge about plants and their uses. Ancient people had deep knowledge about medicinal and poisonous properties of plants, which were passed down from generation to generation. This discovery makes it possible to look at the level of development of ancient civilizations and their interaction with the environment in a new way.
The discovery of ancient arrow poison in South Africa is an important contribution to our understanding of human history. It shows that ancient people were much more complex and advanced than we thought before. This discovery also highlights the need for further research in archeology and ethnobotany to help us better understand the human past.
This changes everything. Human ancestors appeared in Europe half a million years earlier than we thought