Dart ( missile ) Darts are missile weapon s , designed to fly such that a sharp , often weighted point will strike first . They can be distinguished from javelin s by fletching ( i . e . , feathers on the tail ) and a shaft that is shorter and / or more flexible , and from arrow s by the fact that they are not of the right length to use with a normal bow . The term has been used to describe an extremely wide variety of projectiles , from heavy spear - like ammunition for siege engine s or atlatl s to tiny poisoned needles for use in blowgun s . Prehistory . Some of the earliest evidence of advanced tool use includes remnants of an early type of dart , which can be considered the ancestor of arrows as well as bows ( " see Operation " ) . Reconstructions of this system have a range of over one hundred metres ( yards ) and can penetrate several centimetres of oak . This technology was used worldwide from the Upper Palaeolithic ( late Solutrean , c . 18 , 000 - 16 , 000 BC ) until the development of archery made it obsolete ( " see Replacement " ) . Construction . The darts in question are much larger than arrows , but noticeably lighter than javelins . They have a weighted " point " , often of stone , on a removable foreshaft . This is held by friction onto a thin , flexible main shaft a few metres in length , with fletching and a ( usually socket - like ) " nock " at the opposite end . Since they are unlike anything in Western history , the term " dart " has been adopted after some debate . Some alternate terms for this missile have included the spear , but this term has fallen out of favour since in all other uses , spears are stiff enough to be used for stabbing . In its function , an atlatl dart is more like a combination between a bow and an arrow . Operation . Its similarity to a bow may not be immediately obvious , but in fact both serve to accumulate energy by elasticity in a fundamentally similar way . As throwing begins , a dart of this type is designed to flex in compression between the accelerating force at its nock and the inertia of its weighted point , storing energy . Late in this throw , as the point moves faster and so offers less resistance , the dart releases most of this energy by springing away from the thrower . Some energy may also be recovered by the fletching as the projectile " fishtails " through the air . However , this energy is far less than is commonly stated and only effectively increases accuracy by counteracting the downward force on the tail . " Atlatl " . To maximize elastic energy storage and recovery , such darts should be held only by the nock and allowed to pivot freely as they are thrown . This requires a special tool that is often called a " spear thrower " . Western culture has been able to borrow a name for this tool from the Mexican , who used it against the invading Spanish , and who called it the " atlatl " . Much is made of the leverage gained by using an atlatl , but in fact more leverage can be applied ( to less effect , according to reconstructions ) using a sling to launch a kestros phendone . Replacement by the arrow . In Europe , the atlatl was supplemented by the bow and arrow in the Epi - Paleolithic . By the Iron Age , the amentum , a strap attached to the shaft , was the standard European mechanism for throwing lighter javelins . The amentum gives not only range , but also spin to the projectile . Archery may be easier to learn and have a faster rate of fire , yet perhaps this system ' s greatest advantage over the atlatl is that ammunition is easier to make and transport . Since the dart must store almost all of the system ' s elastic energy , more care , planning , and weight of elastic material must be invested in its construction . In archery , the bulk of elastic energy is stored in the throwing device , rather than the projectile ; arrow shafts can therefore be much smaller , and have looser tolerance s for spring constant and weight distribution than atlatl darts . For example , stone dart points from the same set tend to vary in mass by no more than a few percent , and computer simulations show that this is necessary for efficient operation . Similar constraints exist for the length , diameter , and materials quality of the shaft . If the same amount of attention and material are instead invested into a bow , projectiles can be made lighter ( by a factor of five or more ) and to less exacting tolerances . This allowed for more forgiving flint knapping . Greater mass becomes an advantage over archery when penetration is an overwhelming concern , as when harpooning sea mammal s . This class of dart was used by aboriginal Arctic hunters such as the Aleut until fairly recently . Reconstructions . Darts and atlatls have been constructed by modern enthusiasts , either with ancient materials and methods or with high technology borrowed from modern archery . While some do this in the context of anthropology or mechanical engineering , many view the practice as a sport , and throw competitively for distance and / or for accuracy . Throws of almost have been recorded . Other traditional darts . The darts in use by the developers of the English language ( see Thrown darts , below ) were used throughout Europe for much of its military history , though they were never a dominant weapons technology . They have also lent their name to quite a few weapons from other cultures . Thrown darts . It is quite reasonable to speculate the darts used with " atlatl " s were adapted from hand - thrown darts , which in turn were derived from light javelins . In Europe , short but heavy - pointed darts were sometimes used in warfare . These had a length of about and resembled an arrow with a long head and short shaft . The Roman model , the " plumbata " , was weighted with lead . In some legions , five of these were carried inside each soldier ' s shield ; reconstructions show a range of or more when thrown overhand in the fashion of a German stick grenade ( Model 24 ) . Kestros . The kestrosphendone , or kestros , was a sling - launched dart , invented in 168 BC for the Third Macedonian War , probably similar to hand - thrown darts of the period . Casting one ( according to surviving records ) requires a specially designed sling with two unequal loops , though it is not entirely clear whether this is a stave - sling or more closely resembles a shepherd ' s sling . Siege engines . Some of the many Chinese and Greek siege engine s and their descendants can be classified as " dart launchers " . These include the ballista and the scorpio . Blow darts . The blowgun can be used to fire darts , as well . Often , these are quite small , and do little harm by themselves ; instead , they are effective due to poison spread onto their points , from ( for example ) dart frog s or curare . Rope dart . This is a pointed weight attached at its blunt end to a length of rope or chain , which can be used to throw and retrieve it . It meets the definition above because it flies freely when no tension is applied to the rope , has a point and — in the form of a square of cloth — even has fletching . " Shengbiao " is a discipline of " Wushu " devoted to its use . Swiss arrow . A Swiss arrow ( also known as a Yorkshire arrow ) is a dart thrown using a cord to make the dart go farther with the same power . Modern darts . Of the darts still in widespread use , perhaps the closest to traditional thrown darts are lawn darts . These are large and heavy enough to be thrown by swinging , and to seriously wound a person when thrown . An indoor game of darts has also been developed , steel - tip darts generally weigh 18−26 grams and maximum of 50 grams is allowed in Amateur or Professional competitions such as the World Series of Darts . The common length of a dart is generally long , but rules allow for up to . They are designed to penetrate dart board s made of bundled fibers ( usually sisal ) . Tranquilizer dart s are related to the darts for blowguns , but include a hypodermic needle and a hollow reservoir resembling a syringe , which is generally filled with sedatives or other drugs . These are launched from a special gun using compressed gas , a tuft of fibers at the back of the missile serving as both fletching and wadding . A type of dart still finds use in military engagements , in the form of flechette s . These are all - metal projectiles , often resembling nails that have had fletching ( rather than nail heads ) forged into them . They were used by American forces during the wars in Korea and Vietnam , but treaties have since been enacted to limit their use . Large flechettes are used as kinetic energy penetrator s in many gun - fired anti - armour projectiles . In religion . Darts play an important role in ancient symbolism and mythology : In biology . Numerous species of air - breathing land snail s create darts which are fired as a contact shot during courtship ; these are known as love dart s .