Akritai The Akritai ( , singular : Akritēs , ) is a term used in the Byzantine Empire in the 9th - 11th centuries to denote the army units guarding the Empire ' s eastern border , facing the Muslim states of the Middle East . Their exploits , embellished , inspired the Byzantine " national epic " of " Digenes Akritas " and the cycle of the Acritic songs . The term is derived from the Greek word " akron " / " akra " , meaning border ; similar border guards , the " limitanei " , were employed in the late Roman and early Byzantine armies to guard the frontiers ( " limes " ) . In official Byzantine use , the term is non - technical , and used in a descriptive manner , being generally applied to the defenders as well as the inhabitants of the eastern frontier zone , including their Muslim counterparts . The popular image of the " Akritoi " has been heavily influenced by their portrayal in the Acritic songs , and refers to the military troops stationed along the Empire ' s border . In reality , the Byzantine troops stationed along the edges of the Empire were a mixture of professional troops and local thema tic militia , as well as irregular units that constituted the " Akritai " or " Apelatai " proper . These were light infantry recruited from Armenians , Bulgarians and the native Byzantine population . By the late 10th century , the reconquest of much territory in the East meant that the latter were often ethnically and religiously mixed , a fact epitomized by the legendary Digenes Akritas : " digenes " means " of two races " , i . e . " Roman " ( Byzantine / Greek ) and " Saracen " . The " Apelatai " , whose role and tactics are described in Nikephoros II Phokas ' " De velitatione bellica " , acted as raiders , scouts and border guards in the perennial border warfare between Byzantium and its eastern neighbors , characterized by skirmishes and raids . Aside from light infantry , the border forces were complemented by the light cavalry called " trapezitai " or " tasinarioi " . In case of a major Arab raid ( " razzia " ) , they were supposed to raise the alarm , assist in the evacuation of the local population to the various strongholds , and shadow and harass the enemy force until reinforcements could arrive . Many of the Akritai were members of the separated Armenian church and most of them gave protection to heretics . Often , they were active as brigands as well - they were known as " chonsarioi " , from the Bulgarian for " thieves " , in the Balkans , and in the epic of Digenes , the " apelatai " are brigands . Whether these men were also given military estates like the other thema tic soldiers to cultivate or lived on rents from smallholding s while concentrating on their military duties is still a matter of debate . Their officers however were drawn from the local aristocracy . The " Akritai " declined in importance by the late 10th century , as the Byzantine conquests pushed the border eastwards , and its defense radically restructured , with smaller " themata " grouped in five large regional commands headed by a " doux " and a heavy presence of professional troops ( " tagmata " ) . During the first half of the 11th century , the Byzantines faced little danger in the East , and allowed their military strength to weaken . As a result , they were unable to halt the quick advance of the Seljuk Turks in Asia Minor . The institution , in the form of a force raised by local inhabitants in exchange for land and tax exemptions , was re - established under Manuel I Komnenos ( r . 1143 - 1180 ) , when he reorganized the themes in the reconquered western portion of Asia Minor . It is also attested during the Empire of Nicaea , guarding the Anatolian frontier , especially around the Meander valley , against the incursions of Turkish nomads . Their attachment to the Laskarid dynasty however led them to revolt against the usurper emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1262 . After the revolt was suppressed , the " akritai " were then enrolled into the regular army , and their exemptions were annulled . As a result , within a generation , they had effectively ceased to exist , opening the way to the complete loss of the Byzantine possessions in Asia Minor during the first half of the 14th century .