In use since ancient times, the catapult has proven to be one of the most persistently effective mechanisms in warfare. In modern times the term can apply to devices ranging from a simple hand-held implement (also called a "[[slingshot]]") to a mechanism for [[Aircraft catapult|launching aircraft from a ship]].
The earliest catapults date to at least the 7th century BC, with King [[Uzziah]], of Judah, recorded as equipping the walls of Jerusalem with machines that shot great stones.Catapaults mentioned in Yajurveda under the name "Jyah"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bible, King James Version|url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/kjv/kjv-idx?type=DIV2&byte=1884604|access-date=2022-01-19|website=quod.lib.umich.edu}}</ref>stones.Catapaults mentioned in Yajurveda under the name "Jyah in chapter 30.verse 7<ref>https://archive.org/stream/yajurveda029670mbp/yajurveda029670mbp_djvu.txt</ref>In the 5th century BC the [[mangonel]] appeared in [[ancient China]], a type of [[trebuchet|traction trebuchet]] and catapult.<ref name="Chevedden"/><ref name=Trebuchet/> Early uses were also attributed to [[Ajatashatru]] of [[Magadha]] in his, 5th century BC, war against the [[Licchavi (kingdom)|Licchavi]]s.<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|author=Singh, U.|date=2008|publisher=Pearson Education|isbn=9788131711200|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC|page=272|access-date=October 5, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703065417/http://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC|archive-date=July 3, 2014}}</ref> Greek catapults were invented in the early 4th century BC, being attested by [[Diodorus Siculus]] as part of the equipment of a Greek army in 399 BC, and subsequently used at the [[siege of Motya]] in 397 BC.<ref name="Diod. Sic. 14.42.1">Diod. Sic. 14.42.1.</ref><ref>Campbell, Duncan (2003), Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC – AD 363, p.3"</ref>
