Catapulta

A catapulta was a Roman machine for throwing arrows and javelins, 12 feet (3.7 m) or 15 feet (4.6 m) long, at the enemy. The name comes from the Greek (katapeltes), because it could pierce or 'go through' (kata) a shield (pelta). The design was probably inherited, along with the ballista, from Greek armies.