The atlatl is a lever devise designed to propel a flexible spear, or dart, with much greater force than can be achieved by hand. It has been used all over the world, was brought into North America with the first great wave of immigrants from Siberia around 12,000 years ago, and was a main weapon for hunting and warfare there until the advent of the bow 1,300 years ago. Great empires such as the Olmec and Poverty Point were founded during its hayday, and to the Aztecs, who traced their lineage back to the mystic warriors of Teotihuacan, the atlatl was strictly a nobleman's weapon. In the Nahuatl tongue, atlatl is a combination of the words "to throw" and "water".