Poisoned hunting weapons, megafauna, and plant use at a 125,000-year-old Arabian paleolakeshore.

At the ~125,000-year-old Middle Paleolithic site Uruq Aljelibah in Saudi Arabia, poisoned hafted weapon tips linked to Acokanthera schimperi are evidenced alongside in situ carcass processing.

• Why it matters: The Saharo-Arabian record is sparse for early dispersals after the African origin of Homo sapiens, limiting understanding of how people used coastal freshwater landscapes and hunting technologies.
• What they did: The study analyzes Levallois assemblages with refits and residues, plus use-wear and biomarkers, to reconstruct animal and plant processing at Mundafan paleolake.
• The result: Impact damage and poison residues indicate composite hunting systems using hafted tips, while megafaunal remains (hippopotamus, buffalo, gazelle, ostrich, camel) and plant use (palms, tubers, trees, shrubs) show exploitation of freshwater and grassland ecosystems.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.