updated on 17 November 2024

The atlatl is a device that is used to throw a light weight spear called a dart with considerable mechanical advantage. Atlatls were used worldwide before the advent of the bow and arrow. Atlatl (pronounced like 'atlantic') is an Aztec word for spear thrower. In Australia, the Aborigines call it the Woomera. The oldest known atlatl is more than 19,000 years old. It is believed that the atlatl was in use for more than 40,000 years. With the atlatl, humans gained a tremendous hunting advantage and this accelerated the extinction of many large mammals throughout the world. The power that the atlatl imparts to the spear is so great that the Aztecs started reusing atlatl technology to pierce the armor of Spanish Conquistadoras in the sixteenth century. Today, many people are rediscovering the atlatl for the recreational purposes of competition and hunting game. Competition involves the following events: long distance; accuracy and target throwing. Some competitions are restricted to the use of primitive materials and technologies. Other competitions allow the use of modern high tech materials and construction methods. The World Record for long distance currently stands at 848.56 feet. This throw was made by Dave Ingvall of St. Joseph, Missouri, USA on 15 July 1995 in Aurora, Colorado. Dave used a carbon fibre atlatl with an aluminum dart of his own construction.

Item Code	Price (USD)	Description	Click on Photo Below
A79	$934	Prehistoric Bone Atlatl Eskimo - 3,000 B.C

Item Code	Price (USD)	Description	Click on Photo(s) Below
A25	$416	Maori Spear Thrower Single Branch with Incised Art

These items were sold from the North American Artifacts web page

Item Code	Description	Price (USD)
AG1	Prehistoric Bone Atlatl	$2000
TB357	Eskimo Atlatl Spear Thrower with Cedar Bird Dart	$1600
AF4	Mississippian Atlatl (Spear Thrower) from Kentucky	$1403
AB9	Eskimo Atlatl	$850
AB6	Inuit Atlatl Bird Dart with Spliced Cedar shaft and Ivory Tip	$687
AB3	Eskimo Atlatl Made of Bone	$300
AF8	Meso-Isthmus Mexican Atlatl	$252
A91	Prehistoric Eskimo Bone Artifacts from St. Lawrence Island	$241
AF3	Mexican Atlatl and Dart	$200
A96	Atlatl Finger Hold	$133
TB147	Lake Texcoco Fishing Atlatl, 19th Century	$75
TB107	Lake Texcoco Fishing Atlatl, 19th Century	$75
TB80	Lake Texcoco Fishing Atlatl, 19th Century	$68
TB146	Lake Texcoco Fishing Atlatl, 19th Century	$63