Ancient Arrow Poison Traces Found in Saudi Desert
Stone points from a lakeshore site in Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter show resin binding and residues linked to an arrow poison tree.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Botany
Researchers report resin and plant fiber residues on stone points dated to about 125,000 years ago from an ancient lakeshore site called 'Uruq Aljelibah' in Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter. Chemical analysis detected traces linked to Acokanthera schimperi, an arrow poison tree, on several points.
Why it matters
The findings suggest early humans in the region made composite tools and may have used plant-based poisons for hunting. The research, published in Science, adds evidence about early human activity in Arabia during a period when the landscape was wetter and greener.
The evidence is chemical residue analysis of stone points, with more than 5,000 stone tools recovered from the site and the points dated to about 125,000 years ago. The source does not establish how widely the poison was used across the assemblage.
The players
Griffith University
An Australian public research university based in Queensland that co-led the excavation and analysis.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
A Saudi Arabian graduate research university that co-led the study alongside Griffith University.
Saudi Heritage Commission
The Saudi government body responsible for protecting and managing the country's cultural and archaeological heritage.
The details
Resin and plant fibers bound the stone points to handles, and refitted stone flakes indicate tools were made on the spot. Some points have chipped tips containing leftover animal tissue, and the lakeshore was visited by hippos, camels, buffalo, oryx, gazelles and ostriches.
Timeline
About 125,000 years ago: stone points bound with resin and plant fiber were made.
Over 100,000 years ago: the lakeshore site beside a freshwater lake was occupied.
Over the last eight million years: the region repeatedly turned wet and green, according to a separate Nature study.
The Big Picture
The discovery extends the archaeological record of early human activity in the Arabian Peninsula, adding evidence of composite tool technology and plant-based hunting methods at a lakeshore site. It fits within a growing body of research that treats Arabia as an active corridor for early human movement out of Africa.
The findings do not change any practical action for readers today. They offer a window into how early humans used plant materials, and the research may inform future studies of ancient toolmaking across Arabia and Africa.
The takeaway
Plant-based materials such as resin and fiber were central to early human toolmaking, and preserved residues can reveal technologies that would otherwise leave no trace. Researchers continue to find evidence that Arabia was a key setting for early human life.
Further reading
Explore more botany research on how plants have shaped human tools and hunting for millennia.
