Artist's illustration of a Native American throwing a spear with an atlatl.
Although it may have been in used during the Paleo-Indian period, the atlatl or spearthrower was the principal weapon of Archaic people. With an atlatl, an Archaic hunter could throw a spear with more force. A spear thrown with an atlatl traveled a greater distance and struck with more force than one thrown by hand, making it a superior weapon.

During the Archaic Period, Native Americans met the challenge of environmental and social change by developing new tools for food acquisition, preparation, and storage. From refinements in the spear thrower and dart to the development of ground stone tools such as axes for wood working and grinding stone for food preparation, Archaic technology was more complicated and had much more variety than Paleo-Indian technology.