An atlatl is a throwing stick or dart thrower used by ancient tribes to give more force to their darts or spears. It was usually a wooden stick about two feet long with a handhold on one end and a hook on the other. A slot cut in the tail end of the dart was set against the hook allowing the dart to lie along the atlatl so that both could be grasped midway of the dart by the user. An atlatl is depicted in the petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock. It can be seen at the very top of this image.