In antiquity, the catapelta was an instrument of punishment. It consisted of a type of press

Press

Press may refer to:-Media:* News media, the section of the mass media industry that focuses on presenting current news to the public* Publisher, a company that produces or disseminates literature or information* Press TV, the Iranian television network...

, composed of plank

Plank (wood)

A plank is a piece of timber, flat, elongated and rectangular, with parallel faces, higher or longer than wide, used in the construction of ships, houses, bridges, etc......

s, between which the criminal was crushed.

Recorded Usage

One notable work in which the catapelta is mentioned is 4 Maccabees

4 Maccabees

The book of 4 Maccabees is a homily or philosophic discourse praising the supremacy of pious reason over passion. It is not in the Bible for most churches, but is an appendix to the Greek Bible, and in the canon of the Georgian Bible...

. This book is concerned with the torture

Torture

Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...

 and martyr

Martyr

A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...

ing of several individuals. The catapelta is used on the fifth brother.

The five books of Maccabees are in the common domain and can be obtained from Googlebooks here.