Roads, Rails, and Trails - Secretary of the Commonwealth

The Spear Thrower
One interesting artifact found at the Foundry Pond Site was a rounded stone with a shallow groove carved into the surface and a hole
about one-half inch in diameter drilled part-way through it. This was a weight for a spear thrower (also known as a throwing stick or
by its Aztec name: atlatl). The spear thrower is used to throw a spear or large dart with terrific force. One end fits into the back end of
the spear and the thrower grips the other end and uses it to launch the spear. It’s like throwing with a longer arm and gives the throw
more power. The weight can be positioned on the spear thrower to give it better balance and momentum to improve the accuracy of
the throw. Like anything that involves throwing, it takes practice, but the results can be impressive. Atlatl throwing is not entirely a
lost art. There are groups of atlatl enthusiasts, even competitions. Information about these is easily found on the internet.
This atlatl (spear thrower) weight was found at the site.
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This drawing shows how a spear thrower is used. Note the
weight on the shaft of the spear thrower