A spear-thrower, spear-throwing lever, or atlatl is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart or javelin-throwing, and includes a bearing surface that allows the user to store energy during the throw.
A silver Peruvian atlatl from the 12th-15th century
Atlatl in use
Bannerstone atlatl weight, c. 2000 BC. Archaic peoples; Ohio
Ceremonial spear thrower, Peru, 1–300 A.D., Lombards Museum
Darts are airborne ranged weapons. They are designed to fly such that a sharp, often weighted point will strike first. They can be distinguished from javelins by the presence of fletching and a shaft that is shorter and/or more flexible. Darts can be propelled by hand or with the aid of a hand-held implement such as a blowgun. They can be distinguished from arrows because they are not used with a bow.
Demonstration of a blowgun by a traditional hunter
Detail of a feathered dart from Venus and Adonis by Titian, Prado, 1554.
Demonstration of the use of a rope dart
Darts on a dartboard