Stone Age hunters in northern Europe used poisoned arrows to hunt large prey

Researchers in Denmark identified evidence that hunter-gatherers used poisoned arrows to hunt large animals during the early Mesolithic period.

The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, analyzed stone tool technology from the era between 9,000 and 3,950 B.C. The team found that arrowheads from the early Mesolithic period were distinctively small. These tiny tips suggest the hunters used toxins to kill large animals like elk and aurochs.

Because the poison entered the bloodstream, the hunters did not need large stone points to cause massive physical damage. Instead, the small tips only needed to create a wound deep enough for the toxin to circulate. The researchers noted that several toxic plants were available in Denmark at the time, including northern water hemlock and bittersweet nightshade.

In contrast, arrowheads from the middle and later Mesolithic periods were larger, indicating a shift toward hunting smaller prey without the use of poison. This technological shift aligns with a trend of miniaturizing stone tools as new populations expanded across Europe. The study suggests that mastery of these poisons required advanced knowledge of plant chemistry and preparation. Hunters had to know how to concentrate the toxins and ensure the poison did not contaminate the meat they intended to eat.

While the physical poison has vanished over thousands of years, the specific size of the stone tools provides a record of this ancient hunting strategy.