View source for Spear-thrower

{{short description|Tool to give more leverage when throwing a spear-like projectile}}
[[File:Silver Atlatl Spear Thrower MET VS1987 394 244.jpeg|thumb|A silver Peruvian atlatl from the 12th–15th century]]
[[File:Nativo do Novo Mundo lançando flecha com o propulsor ou estólica.jpg|thumb|Atlatl in use]]

A '''spear-thrower''', '''spear-throwing lever''', or '''''atlatl''''' (<small>pronounced</small> {{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|t|l|æ|t|əl|audio=en-us-atlatl.oga}}<ref>{{OED|atlatl}}</ref> or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑː|t|l|ɑː|t|əl}};<ref>{{dict.com|atlatl}}</ref> [[Classical Nahuatl|Nahuatl]] ''ahtlatl'' {{IPA|nah|ˈaʔt͡ɬat͡ɬ}}) is a [[tool]] that uses [[lever]]age to achieve greater velocity in [[Dart (missile)|dart]] or [[javelin]] throwing, and includes a [[Plain bearing|bearing]] surface that allows the user to store [[energy]] during the throw.

It may consist of a shaft with a cup or a spur at the end that supports and propels the butt of the spear. It's usually about as long as the user's arm or forearm. The user holds the spear-thrower in one hand, gripping near the end farthest from the cup. The user puts the butt end of the spear, or dart, in the cup, or grabs the spur with the end of the spear. The spear is much longer than the thrower. The user holds the thrower at the grip end, with the spear resting on the thrower and the butt end of the spear resting in the thrower's cup. The user can hold the spear, with the index and thumb, with the same hand as the thrower, with the other fingers. The user reaches back with the spear pointed at the target. Then they make an overhand throwing motion with the thrower while letting go of the spear with the fingers.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/eT_eW2bEzN0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183527/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT_eW2bEzN0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT_eW2bEzN0 |title=How to Throw an Atlatl and Dart|date=18 December 2017 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2021-06-30}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/YGGvWazDM_g Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200728184103/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGGvWazDM_g&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGGvWazDM_g |title=The Atlatl: Most Underrated Stone Age Tool? |date=23 May 2020 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2021-06-30}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The dart is thrown by the action of the upper arm and wrist. The throwing arm together with the atlatl acts as a lever. The spear-thrower is a low-mass, fast-moving extension of the throwing arm, increasing the length of the lever. This extra length allows the thrower to impart force to the dart over a longer distance, thus imparting more energy and higher speeds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tasigh.org/ingenium/atlatl.html |title=Atlatl History and Physics |publisher=Tasigh.org |access-date=2013-09-21}}</ref>

Common modern ball throwers (such as molded plastic arms used for throwing tennis balls for dogs to fetch) use the same principle.

A spear-thrower is a long-range weapon and can readily impart speeds of over {{convert|150|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="Girls on top">{{cite news | title = Girls on top | publisher = The Economist | date = April 12, 2008 | url = https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2008/04/10/girls-on-top}}</ref> to a projectile.

Spear-throwers appear early in human history in several parts of the world, and have survived in use in traditional societies until the present day, as well as being revived in recent years for sporting purposes. In the Americas, the [[Nahuatl]] word {{lang|nah|atlatl}} is often used for revived uses of spear-throwers (or the [[Mayan languages|Mayan]] word {{lang|myn|hul'che}}); in Australia, the [[Dharug language|Dharug]] word {{lang|xdk|[[Woomera (spear-thrower)|woomera]]}} is used instead.

The ancient Greeks and Romans used a leather thong or loop, known as an ''ankule'' or ''[[amentum]]'', as a spear-throwing device.<ref>{{cite book|first=Howard L. |last=Blackmore |date=2000 |title=Hunting Weapons: From the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century |page=103 |quote=...&nbsp;the air'.31 A device which enabled all but the heaviest of spears to be cast a respectable distance was the spear thrower. ... It was known to the Greeks as the ankuli and to Romans as the amentum.3 The spear was rested in the hand and ...}}</ref> The [[Swiss arrow]] is a weapon that works similarly to amentum.

Pacific islanders of New Caledonia used a spear thrower similar to the ones used by the ancient Greek and Romans called a "doigtier".<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://ia904502.us.archive.org/32/items/biostor-54598/biostor-54598.pdf | title=The Spear-becket, or "Doigtier" of New Caledonia, the New Hebrides and other Pacific islands | website=us.archive.org}}</ref> It is not a direct translation of the name and was given by the French colonists that experimented with the tool. It was a thick string the wrapped around a dart that gave it spin when it was thrown.

Using replicas of spear-throwers known from the [[Basketmaker culture|Basketmaker]] culture and the Basketmaker II era, and using darts of different weights, it has been found that the maximum exit velocity a historical spear-thrower can achieve is 72–108&nbsp;km/h (45—67&nbsp;mph). Measurement methods include [[Radar speed gun|radar guns]], [[gun chronograph]]s, and analysis of high speed films, to cross-check the results. For comparison, a 25&nbsp;lbs [[self bow]] shoots arrows with an exit velocity of 129&nbsp;km/h (80&nbsp;mph), while a replica of a 45&nbsp;lbs self bow from the [[Catawba people|Catawba]] tribe achieves speeds of 160&nbsp;km/h (100&nbsp;mph).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Whittaker |first1=J. C. |last2=Pettigrew |first2=D. B. |last3=Grohsmeyer |first3=R. J. |date=2017 |title=Atlatl Dart Velocity: Accurate Measurements and Implications for Paleoindian and Archaic Archaeology |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315991940 |journal=PaleoAmerica |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=161–181 |doi=10.1080/20555563.2017.1301133 |issn=2055-5563}}</ref> Claims of higher speeds of 160&nbsp;km/h (100&nbsp;mph) or even higher for historical self-throwers are probably due to improper measurement methods for this class of weapon.<ref name=":0" />

The [[momentum]] gained by a spear thrower's dart is 1.8–2.7&nbsp;kg•m•s, while that of a Catawba bow's arrow is 1.5&nbsp;kg•m•s.<ref name=":0" /> A [[.357 Magnum|.357 magnum]] round of 158 grain gains a momentum of 3.58&nbsp;kg•m•s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Skov |first=E. |date=2011 |title=Sling Technology: Towards an understanding of capabilities |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebanthro/169 |journal=Nebraska Anthropologist |volume=169 |pages=112–126}}</ref>

== Design ==
[[File:Atlatl.png|thumb|Depiction of an atlatl]]

[[File:Bannerstone.jpg|thumb|[[Bannerstone]] atlatl weight, c. 2000 BC. Archaic peoples; Ohio]]
Spear-thrower designs may include improvements such as thong loops to fit the fingers, the use of flexible shafts or stone balance weights. [[Dart (missile)|Dart]] shafts can be made thinner and highly flexible for added power and range, the fletching can be spiralized to add spin to the dart making it more stable and accurate. Darts resemble large arrows or small spears and are typically from {{convert|1.2 to 2.7|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} in length and {{convert|9 to 16|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}}  in diameter.

Another important improvement to the spear-thrower's design was the introduction of a small weight (between 60 and 80&nbsp;grams) strapped to its midsection. Some atlatlists maintain that stone weights add mass to the shaft of the device, causing resistance to acceleration when swung and resulting in a more forceful and accurate launch of the dart. Others claim that spear-thrower weights add only stability to a cast, resulting in greater accuracy.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Based on previous work done by William S. Webb, William R. Perkins<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.onagocag.com/atlatl1.html |title=Atlatls & Primitive Technology |access-date=2012-08-19}}</ref> claims that spear-thrower weights, commonly called "[[bannerstone]]s", and characterized by a centered hole in a symmetrically shaped carved or ground stone, shaped wide and flat with a drilled hole and thus a little like a large [[Wingnut (hardware)|wingnut]], are an improvement to the design that created a silencing effect when swung. The use of the device would reduce the telltale "zip" of a swung atlatl to a more subtle "woof" sound that did not travel as far and was less likely to alert prey. Robert Berg's theory is that the bannerstone was carried by hunters as a [[Spindle (textiles)|spindle]] weight to produce string from natural fibers gathered while hunting, for the purpose of tying on [[fletching]] and [[hafting]] stone or bone points.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thunderbirdatlatl.com/2005/06/17/bannerstones-and-how-they-relate-to-the-atlatl/ |title=Bannerstones And How They Relate To The Atlatl |access-date=8 March 2018 |first=Robert S. |last=Berg |date=17 June 2005}}</ref>

=== Woomera ===
The [[Woomera (spear-thrower)|woomera]], or ‘miru’, allows hunters to apply more force, speed and distance when launching their spears. A woomera is usually made from Mulga wood, and serves many other purposes such as a: receptacle for mixing ochre for traditional paintings for ceremonies, deflection tool of enemies’ spears in battle, fire making saw, or a utensil for chopping game. This tool is usually {{convert|60|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|12|cm|in|abbr=on}} wide, and comes in a concave, elliptical shape.

=== Artistic designs ===
Several [[Stone Age]] spear-throwers (usually now incomplete) are decorated with carvings of animals: the [[British Museum]] has one decorated with a [[Mammoth spear thrower|mammoth]], and there is one decorated with a [[hyena]] in France. Many pieces of decorated bone may have belonged to [[bâton de commandement|bâtons de commandement]].{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}
[[File:Aztec atl-atl (Museo Nacional de Antropología).jpg|thumb|Carved Aztec atlatl at the [[National Museum of Anthropology and History]] in [[Mexico City]]]]

The Aztec atlatl was often decorated with snake designs and feathers,<ref name="Whittaker" /> potentially evocative of its association with [[Ehecatl]], the Aztec wind deity.<ref>[http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/artefacts/atlatl Mexicolore's page on the atlatl, and its connection with Ehecatl]</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Wells Reindeer Age articles.png|thumb|[[Upper Paleolithic]] articles]]

Wooden [[dart (missile)|darts]] were known at least since the Middle [[Paleolithic]] ([[Schöningen]], [[Torralba (site)|Torralba]], [[Clacton-on-Sea]] and [[Kalambo Falls]]), ~400,000 years old. While the spear-thrower is capable of casting a dart well over one hundred meters, it is most accurately used at distances of twenty meters or less. The spearthrower is believed to have been in use by ''Homo sapiens'' since the [[Upper Paleolithic]] (around 30,000 years ago).<ref>{{cite book |title=Science and technology in world history: an introduction |last1=McClellan |first1=James Edward |last2=Dorn |first2=Harold |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] |year=2006 |page=11 |isbn=978-0-8018-8360-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aJgp94zNwNQC}}</ref> Most [[Stratification (archeology)|stratified]] European finds come from the [[Magdalenian]] (late upper Palaeolithic). In this period, elaborate pieces, often in the form of animals, are common. The earliest reliable data concerning atlatls have come from several caves in France dating to the Upper Paleolithic, about 21,000 to 17,000 years ago. The earliest known example is a 17,500-year-old [[Solutrean]] atlatl made of reindeer antler, found at Combe Saunière (Dordogne), France.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Peregrine|first1=Peter N.|author-link1=Peter N. Peregrine|first2=Melvin|last2=Ember|author-link2=Melvin Ember|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Prehistory|volume=4|article=Europe|publisher = Springer | year = 2001|isbn = 978-0-306-46258-0|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uOzejz5zUTQC&q=Combe+Sauniere+atlatl&pg=PA349}}</ref> It is possible that the atlatl was invented earlier than this, as [[Lake Mungo remains|Mungo Man]] from 42,000 BP displays arthritis in his right elbow, a pathology referred to today as the "Atlatl elbow," resulting from many years of forceful torsion from using an atlatl.<ref name="Visit Mungo">{{cite web |url=http://www.visitmungo.com.au/who-was-mungo-man |title=Mungo Lady and Mungo Man|publisher=mungo |date=n.d. |access-date=November 3, 2018}}</ref> At present, there is no evidence for the use of atlatls in Africa. Peoples such as the [[Maasai people|Maasai]] and [[Khoisan]] throw spears without any aids, but the use of atlatls in hunting is limited in comparison to spears because the animal must be close and already immobile.

During the Ice Age, the atlatl was used by humans to hunt [[megafauna]]. Ice Age megafauna offered a large food supply when other game was limited, and the atlatl gave more power to pierce their thicker skin. In this time period, atlatls were usually made of wood or bone. Improvements made to spears' edge made it more efficient as well.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Toler |first1=Pamela D. |title=Mankind: The Story of All of Us |date=30 October 2012 |publisher=Running Press |isbn=978-0-7624-4703-9 |pages=20}}</ref>

In Europe, the spear-thrower was supplemented by the [[bow and arrow]] in the [[Epi-Paleolithic]]. Along with improved ease of use, the bow offered the advantage that the bulk of elastic energy is stored in the throwing device, rather than the projectile. Arrow shafts can therefore be much smaller and have looser [[tolerance (engineering)|tolerances]] for [[spring (device)|spring]] constant and weight distribution than atlatl darts. This allowed for more forgiving [[flint (tool)|flint]] knapping: dart heads designed for a particular spear thrower tend to differ in mass by only a few percent. By the Iron Age, the [[amentum]], a strap attached to the shaft, was the standard European mechanism for throwing lighter javelins. The amentum gives not only range, but also spin to the projectile.<ref>{{cite journal
|journal= The Journal of Hellenic Studies |title=Throwing the Javelin |last=Gardiner |first=E. Norman |volume=27 |year=1907 |pages=249–273 |url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofhelleni27sociuoft#page/249/mode/1up |doi=10.2307/624444 |jstor=624444|s2cid=163650466 }}</ref>

[[File:Lombards Museum 135.JPG|thumb|left|Ceremonial spear thrower, Peru, 1–300 A.D., Lombards Museum]]
The spear-thrower was used by early [[Native American (Americas)|Americans]] as well. It may have been introduced to America during the immigration across the [[Beringia|Bering Land Bridge]],{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} and despite the later introduction of the [[bow and arrow]],{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} atlatl use was widespread at the time of first European contact.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} Atlatls are represented in the art of multiple [[Pre-Columbian era|pre-Columbian]] cultures, including the [[Basketmaker culture]] in the American Southwest, [[Maya civilization|Maya]] in the Yucatán Peninsula, and [[Moche culture|Moche]] in [[Andes|the Andes]] of South America. Atlatls were especially prominent in the iconography of the warriors of the [[Teotihuacan]] culture of Central Mexico. A ruler from Teotihuacan named [[Spearthrower Owl]] is an important figure described in Mayan [[Stele|stelae]]. Complete wooden spear-throwers have been found on dry sites in the western United States and in waterlogged environments in [[Florida]] and [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. Several [[Amazon Basin|Amazonian]] tribes also used the atlatl for fishing and hunting. Some even preferred this weapon over the bow and arrow and used it not only in combat but also in sports competitions. Such was the case with the [[Tarairiú]], a [[Tapuya]] tribe of migratory foragers and raiders inhabiting the forested mountains and highland savannahs of [[Rio Grande do Norte]] in mid-17th-century Brazil. Anthropologist [[Harald Prins]] offers the following description:<blockquote>The atlatl, as used by these Tarairiu warriors, was unique in shape. About {{convert|88|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|3|to|4.5|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} wide, this spear thrower was a tapering piece of wood carved of brown hard-wood. Well-polished, it was shaped with a semi-circular outer half and had a deep groove hollowed out to receive the end of the javelin, which could be engaged by a horizontal wooden peg or spur lashed with a cotton thread to the proximal and narrower end of the throwing board, where a few scarlet parrot feathers were tied for decoration. [Their] darts or javelins ... were probably made of a two-meter long wooden cane with a stone or long and serrated hard-wood point, sometimes tipped with poison. Equipped with their uniquely grooved atlatl, they could hurl their long darts from a great distance with accuracy, speed, and such deadly force that these easily pierced through the protective armor of the Portuguese or any other enemy.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Prins |first=Harald E.L. |year=2010 |title=The Atlatl as Combat Weapon in 17th-Century Amazonia: Tapuya Indian Warriors in Dutch Colonial Brazil |url=http://www.worldatlatl.org/Articles/Tapuya%20Atlatl%20Article%20by%20Harald%20Prins%2025%20May%202010.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=The Atlatl |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=1–3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229062650/http://www.worldatlatl.org/Articles/Tapuya%20Atlatl%20Article%20by%20Harald%20Prins%2025%20May%202010.pdf |archive-date=29 February 2012 |access-date=2013-05-08}}</ref></blockquote>The spear-thrower was an important part of life, hunting, and religion in the ancient [[Andes]]. The earliest known spear-thrower of the South Americas had a proximal handle piece and is commonly referred to as an ''estólica'' in Spanish references to indigenous [[Andean civilizations|Andean]] culture {{Citation needed|reason=Documentation of primary sources would be especially useful here|date=May 2021}}. ''Estólica'' and atlatl are therefore synonymous terms. The ''estólica'' is best known archaeologically from [[Nazca culture]] and the [[Inca civilization]], but the earliest examples are known from associations with [[Chinchorro mummies]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arriaza |first1=Bernardo |title=Beyond Death: The Chinchorro Mummies of Ancient Chile |date=1995 |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |location=Washington, DC |isbn=978-1560985129}}</ref> The ''estólica'' is also known from [[Moche culture]], including detailed representations on painted pottery, and in representations on textiles of the [[Wari culture]].<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Critchley |first1=Zachary R. |date=2018 |title=The Art of the Spearthrower: Understanding the Andean ''Estólica'' through Iconography |type=MA thesis |publisher=Binghamton University |url=https://orb.binghamton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=dissertation_and_theses |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref>

The Andean ''estólica'' had a wooden body with a hook that was made of stone or metal. These hooks have been found at multiple highland sites including [[Cerro Baúl]], a site of the Wari culture. In the Andes, the tips of darts were often capped with metal. Arrow points commonly had the same appearance as these Andean tips{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}. The length of a common ''estòlica'' was about 50&nbsp;cm. ''Estólica'' handles were commonly carved and modeled to represent real world accounts like animals and deities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Slater |first1=Donald |title=Power Materialized: The Dart-Thrower as a Pan-Mesoamerican Status Marker |journal=Ancient Mesoamerica |year=2011 |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=371–388 |doi=10.1017/S0956536111000277 |s2cid=162483649 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ancient-mesoamerica/article/power-materialized-the-dart-thrower-as-a-pan-mesoamerican-status-marker/C99076B29EE2F8E59789C81201D2A920 |access-date=28 April 2021|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Examples of ''estòlicas'' with no handle pieces have been interpreted as children's toys{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}. Archaeologists found decorated examples in the Moche culture burial of the [[Lady of Cao]] at [[El Brujo]] in the Chicama valley. At her feet was a group of twenty-three atlatls with handle pieces that depicted birds. These “theatrical” ''estòlicas'' are different from normal weapons. They are much longer (80–100&nbsp;cm) than the regular examples (50–60&nbsp;cm). Archeologists [[John C. Whittaker|John Whittaker]] and Kathryn Kamp, both faculty from [[Grinnell College]], speculate that they might have been part of a ceremony before the burial or symbolic references to indicate that the royal woman in the burial had been a warrior.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

''Estólicas'' are depicted along with maces, clubs, and shields on Moche vessels that illustrate warfare.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Whittaker |first1=John |title=Atlatl Use on Moche Pottery of Ancient Peru |journal=The Newsletter of the World Atlatl Association, Inc. |date=2006 |volume=19 |issue=3 |url=https://www.academia.edu/13500948}}</ref> The atlatl appears in the artwork of [[Chavín de Huantar]], such as on the Black and White Portal.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Among the [[Tlingit]] of Southeast Alaska, approximately one dozen old elaborately carved specimens they call "shee áan" (sitting on a branch) remain in museum collections<ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.fenimoreartmuseum.org/items/show/984 |title=Fenimore Art Museum &#124; Atlatl |publisher=Collections.fenimoreartmuseum.org |date=8 December 1992 |access-date=21 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923073816/http://collections.fenimoreartmuseum.org/items/show/984 |archive-date=2013-09-23 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and private collections, one having sold at auction for more than $100,000.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

In September 1997, an atlatl dart fragment, carbon dated to 4360 ± 50 <sup>14</sup>C yr BP (TO 6870), was found in an ice patch on mountain [[Thandlät]], the first of the southern [[Yukon Ice Patches]] to be studied.<ref name="kusawapark">{{cite web |url=http://kusawapark.ca/park/traditional-homeland |title=Traditional Homeland |publisher=Kusawa Park Steering Committee |date=n.d. |access-date=2 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329011526/http://kusawapark.ca/park/traditional-homeland/ |archive-date=29 March 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Arctic_1999_Kusyk">{{cite journal |last1=Kuzyk |first1=G.W. |last2=Russell |first2=D.E. |last3=Farnell |first3=R.S. |last4=Gotthardt |first4=R.M. |last5=Hare |first5=P.G. |last6=Blake |first6=E. |year=1999 |title=In pursuit of prehistoric c caribou on Thandlät, southern Yukon |url=http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/publications/kuzyk_et_al_1999.pdf |journal=Arctic |volume=52 |number=2 |pages=214–219 |doi=10.14430/arctic924}}</ref><ref name="Cadena_Indigenous_2007">{{cite book |title=Indigenous Experience Today |editor-first1=Marisol |editor-last1=de la Cadena |editor-first2=Orin |editor-last2=Starn |isbn=978-1845205195 |pages=384 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |date=September 15, 2007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1GqtAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA363 |access-date=2 December 2017}}</ref>{{rp|363}}<ref name="Hare_frozenpast_2011">{{cite report |url=http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/publications/The_Frozen_Past_the_Yukon_Ice_Patches_2011.pdf |title=The Frozen Past: The Yukon Ice Patches |isbn=978-1-55362-509-4 |last1=Hare |first1=Greg |year=2011 |pages=36 |publisher=Government of the Yukon |access-date=2 December 2017}}</ref>{{rp|2}}

The people of [[New Guinea]] and [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal people in Australia]] also use spear-throwers. In the mid [[Holocene]],<ref>Laet, Sigfried J. de & International Commission for the New Edition of the History of the Scientific and Cultural Development of Mankind & International Commission for a History of the Scientific and Cultural Development of Mankind. History of mankind (1994). History of humanity. Routledge; Paris : Unesco, London; New York, p.1064</ref> Aboriginal people in Australia developed spear-throwers, known as ''[[Woomera (spear-thrower)|woomeras]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Palter |first=John L. |title=Design and construction of Australian spear-thrower projectiles and hand-thrown spears. |journal=Archaeology & Physical Anthropology in Oceania |date=1977 |pages=161–172 |publisher=APA}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Cundy |first=B. J. |date=1989 |title=Formal variation in Australian spear and spearthrower technology |volume=546 |journal=British Archaeological Reports |publisher=British Archaeological Reports Ltd.}}</ref>

As well as its practical use as a hunting weapon, it may also have had social effects. John Whittaker suggests the device was a social equalizer in that it requires skill rather than muscle power alone. Thus, women and children would have been able to participate in hunting.<ref name="Girls on top"/>

Whittaker said the stone-tipped projectiles from the Aztec atlatl were not powerful enough to penetrate Spanish [[steel plate]] armor, but they were strong enough to penetrate the [[mail (armour)|mail]], leather and cotton armor that most Spanish soldiers wore.<ref name="Whittaker">{{cite web|url=http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=aaa&id=432&typ=reg |title=Mexicolore |publisher=Mexicolore |date=21 December 2012 |access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> Whittaker said the Aztecs started their battles with atlatl darts followed with [[melee]] combat using the [[macuahuitl]].<ref name="Whittaker"/>

== {{lang|fr|Bâtons de commandement}} ==
Another type of Stone Age artefact that is sometimes excavated is the {{lang|fr|[[bâton de commandement]]}}. These are shorter, normally less than one foot long, and made of antler, with a hole drilled through them. When first found in the nineteenth century, they were interpreted by French archaeologists to be symbols of authority, like a modern [[field marshal]]'s baton, and so named {{lang|fr|bâtons de commandement}} ("batons of command"). Though debate over their function continues, tests with replicas have found them effective aids to spear or dart throwing when used with a cord.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HlwUo0IccoMC&pg=PT192 |title=Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills |via=[[Google Books]] |publisher=Society of Primitive Technology, Gibbs Smith |editor-first=David |editor-last=Wescott |date=1999 |isbn=9780879059118 |access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> Another theory is that they were "arrow-straighteners".{{citation needed |date=December 2014}}

== Bian Jian ("Spear sling") ==
[[Bian Jian]] ({{lang-zh|鞭箭}}, lit. 'Whip arrow') is a unique spear-thrower that was used during Song period.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} It can be described as a long staff sling that throws a spear-sized dart instead of a rock-like projectile. It requires two operators unlike other spear-throwers. It should not be confused with another Bian Jian ({{lang|zh|邊箭}}).

== Modern times ==
[[File:Poised to launch a dart from an atlatl.jpg|thumb|The thrower is checking to see that the dart has been correctly located on the spur of the spear-thrower; next she turns her head in the other direction, aims, and throws]]
[[File:A spear-thrower (atlatl) in slow motion.webm|thumb|An atlatl being thrown in slow motion.]]
[[File:Today is World Atlatl Day (4952910401).jpg|thumb|An [[Aleut]] atlatl from [[Nikolski, Alaska|Nikolski]], made in 1976]]
In modern times, some people have resurrected the dart thrower for [[sport]]s, often using the term atlatl, throwing either for distance and/or for accuracy. The [http://worldatlatl.org/ World Atlatl Association] was formed in 1987<ref>{{cite web |url=http://worldatlatl.org/about-us/ |title=The World Atlatl Association: About Us |date=10 May 2016 |access-date=10 February 2017}}</ref> to promote the atlatl.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://worldatlatl.org/about-atlatls/modern-sport/ |title=The World Atlatl Association: Modern sport |date=12 May 2016 |access-date=10 February 2017 |archive-date=11 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080419/http://worldatlatl.org/about-atlatls/modern-sport/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Throws of almost {{cvt|260|m}} have been recorded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flight-toys.com/atlatl.html |title=The Atlatl |publisher=Flight-toys.com |access-date=8 June 2009}}</ref> Colleges reported to field teams in this event include [[Grinnell College]] in [[Iowa]], [[Franklin Pierce University]] in [[New Hampshire]], [[Alfred University]] in [[New York (state)|New York]], and the [[University of Vermont]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parade.com/news/our-towns/2010/0530-a-college-team-takes-aim.html |title=Our Towns: A College Team Takes Aim |publisher=Parade.com |date=30 May 2010 |access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref>

Atlatls are sometimes used in modern times for hunting. In the U.S., the [[Pennsylvania]] Game Commission has given preliminary approval for legalization of the atlatl for hunting certain animals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/303737/pennsylvania_may_let_hunters_use_prehistoric_weapon/index.html |title=Pennsylvania May Let Hunters Use Prehistoric Weapon |publisher=RedOrbit.com |date=13 November 2005 |access-date=8 June 2009}}</ref> The animals that would be allowed to atlatl hunters have yet to be determined, but particular consideration has been given to deer. Currently, [[Alabama]] allows the atlatl for deer hunting, while a handful of other states list the device as legal for [[rough fish]] (those not sought for sport or food), some game birds and non-game mammals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/outdoors/general/columns/story?columnist=absher_jr&page=g_blog_Absher_JR_archive_thru-060424 |title=Spear near in Pennsylvania? from espn.com |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=21 June 2006 |access-date=8 June 2009}}</ref> Starting in 2007, Missouri allowed use of the atlatl for hunting wildlife (excluding deer and turkey), and starting in 2010, also allowed deer hunting during the firearms portion of the deer season (except the muzzleloader portion).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/regulations/deer-regulations/2010-firearms-deer-hunting |title=2013 Firearms Deer Hunting &#124; Missouri Department of Conservation |publisher=Mdc.mo.gov |date=15 September 2013 |access-date=21 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521053221/http://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/regulations/deer-regulations/2010-firearms-deer-hunting |archive-date=21 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Wang |first=Regina |url=http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/09/28/atlatl-fall-season-hunting-legal-missouri/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006125607/http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/09/28/atlatl-fall-season-hunting-legal-missouri/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 October 2010 |title=Atlatl makes debut for Missouri deer season |publisher=Columbia Missourian |date=28 September 2010 |access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> Starting in 2012, Missouri allowed the use of atlatls during the fall archery deer and turkey hunting seasons and, starting in 2014, allowed the use of atlatls during the spring turkey hunting season as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mdc.mo.gov/about-us/get-know-us/leaders-and-organizational-structure/conservation-meetings-and-actions/2011-me-1 |title=Conservation Action: Meeting of the May 2011 Conservation Commission {{!}} Missouri Department of Conservation |access-date=25 November 2011 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116065330/http://mdc.mo.gov/about-us/get-know-us/leaders-and-organizational-structure/conservation-meetings-and-actions/2011-me-1 |archive-date=16 November 2012}}</ref> Missouri also allows use of the atlatl for fishing, with some restrictions (similar to the restrictions for [[spearfishing]] and [[bowfishing]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=Missouri Department of Conservation, Wildlife Code: Sport Fishing: Seasons, Methods, Limits |url=http://www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/current/3csr/3c10-6.pdf |publisher=Sos.mo.gov |access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission allows the use of atlatls for the taking of deer {{as of|2013|lc=yes}}.<ref name="Whitetail and Mule Deer Hunting">{{cite web |title=Whitetail and Mule Deer Hunting |publisher=[[State of Nebraska]] |url=http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/hunting/guides/biggame/deer/BGdeerseasons.asp |access-date=21 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221230638/http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/hunting/guides/biggame/deer/BGdeerseasons.asp |archive-date=21 December 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The [[Woomera (spear-thrower)|woomera]] is still used today by some Aboriginal people for hunting in [[Australia]]{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}. Yup'ik Eskimo hunters still use the atlatl, known locally as "nuqaq" (nook-ak), in villages near the mouth of the Yukon River for seal hunting.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

=== Competitions ===
There are numerous atlatl competitions held every year, with spears and spear-throwers built using both ancient and modern materials. Events are often held at parks, such as [[Letchworth State Park]] in New York, [[Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site]] in Illinois, or [[Valley of Fire State Park]] in Nevada.<ref name="Girls on top"/> Atlatl associations around the world<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thunderbirdatlatl.com/?page_id=82 |title=Atlatl Associations |date=February 2006 |publisher=Thunderbird Atlatl |access-date=2013-09-21}}</ref> host a number of local atlatl competitions. [[Chimney Point, Vermont|Chimney Point State Historic Site]] in Addison, Vermont hosts the annual Northeast Open Atlatl Championship. In 2009, the Fourteenth Annual Open Atlatl Championship was held on Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20. On the Friday before the Championship, a workshop was held to teach modern and traditional techniques of atlatl and dart construction, flint knapping, hafting stone points, and cordage making.<ref name="cp1">[http://www.historicvermont.org/chimneypoint/atlatl/index.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905030419/http://www.historicvermont.org/chimneypoint/atlatl/index.htm|date=September 5, 2009}}</ref> Competitions may be held in conjunction with other events, such as the [[Pawpaw Festival|Ohio Pawpaw Festival]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ohiopawpawfest.com/events.html |title=2013 Ohio Pawpaw Festival |publisher=Ohiopawpawfest.com |access-date=2013-09-21 |archive-date=2013-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923094655/http://www.ohiopawpawfest.com/events.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> or at the Bois D'Arc Primitive Skills Gathering and Knap-in, held every September in southern Missouri.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boisdarc.info |title=Bois D' Arc Primitive Skills Gathering and Knap-in |access-date=2013-10-06}}</ref>

Atlatl events commonly include the International Standard Accuracy Competition (ISAC), in which contestants throw ten times at a bull's-eye target.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldatlatl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Revised-2016-ISAC-Rules-with-appendices.pdf |title=ISAC Rules Package |access-date=2017-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211155107/http://worldatlatl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Revised-2016-ISAC-Rules-with-appendices.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-11 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Other contests involving different distances or terrain may also be included, usually testing the atlatlist's accuracy rather than distance throwing.

=== Popular culture ===
In the sixth episode of the fourth season of the television competition ''[[Top Shot]]'', the elimination round consisted of two contestants using the atlatl at ranges of 30, 45 and 60 feet.

An atlatl was the weapon of choice of a serial killer in the 2020 action-thriller ''[[The Silencing]]'', where it is erroneously described as an illegal weapon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlatlmadness.com/blogs/news/atlatl-madness-s-atlatl-darts-in-a-movie-the-silencing |title=Atlatl Madness's Atlatl Darts in a Movie!!! "The Silencing" |date=21 July 2020|access-date=13 August 2020}}</ref>

Lydia Demarek, a character in the popular fantasy novel series ''[[Brotherband]]'', owns and often uses an atlatl.

In the light novel series ''[[Evangelion ANIMA]]'', an enemy known as a Victor uses a form of atlatl as a weapon.

In [[Critical Role campaign four|Campaign 4]] of the [[Critical Role]] web series, the [[player character]] Kattigan Vale, played by [[Robbie Daymond]], uses an atlatl.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2617861538?t=4h2m32s|title=Critical Role Campaign 4, Espisode 6: 'Knives and Thorns'}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Amentum]]
* [[Aztec warfare]]
* [[hunter-gatherer|Hunter-gatherer societies]]
* [[Kestros (weapon)|Kestros]]
* [[Swiss arrow]]
* [[Woomera (spear-thrower)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Garrod |first1=D. |year=1955 |title=Palaeolithic spear throwers |journal=Proc. Prehist. Soc. |volume=21 |pages=21–35 |doi=10.1017/s0079497x00017370|s2cid=130339858 }}
* Hunter, W. (1992) "Reconstructing a Generic Basket Maker Atlatl", ''Bulletin of Primitive Technology'', No. 4.
* Knecht, H. (1997) Projectile technology, New York, Plenum Press, 408 p. {{ISBN|0-306-45716-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Nuttall |first=Zelia |author-link=Zelia Nuttall |title=The atlatl or spear-thrower of the ancient Mexicans |publisher=Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology |year=1891 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |oclc=3536622}}
* Perkins, W. (1993) "Atlatl Weights, Function and Classification", ''Bulletin of Primitive Technology'', No. 5.
* {{Cite journal | author=Prins, Harald E.L. | year=2010 | title=The Atlatl as Combat Weapon in 17th-Century Amazonia: Tapuya Indian Warriors in Dutch Colonial Brazil | journal=The Atlatl | volume=23 | number=2 | pages=1–3 | url=https://worldatlatl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2010-2-THE-ATLATL.pdf}}
* Stodiek, U. (1993) Zur Technik der jungpaläolithischen Speerschleuder (Tübingen).
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Atlatl}}
* [http://www.worldatlatl.org/ World Atlatl Association Web Site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051109021444/http://www.msu.edu/~doneycar/refatl.html Atlatl reference page]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121023093431/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_image.aspx?image=com1369a.jpg&retpage=21233 Graphic of a spear thrower in use.]

{{Ancient mechanical artillery and hand-held missile weapons}}
{{Prehistoric technology| state=uncollapsed}}
{{Hunting topics}}

[[Category:Indigenous weapons of the Americas]]
[[Category:Ancient weapons]]
[[Category:Throwing spears]]
[[Category:Types of archaeological artefact]]
[[Category:History of hunting]]
[[Category:Hunting equipment]]