Mounted horse archers armed with powerful composite bows.
Medieval Romans called all warriors that came from the steppe "Skythae". The lack of experienced mounted archers forced the Empire to hire large numbers of these warriors to counter the superior mounted archery skills of it's enemies. These warriors came from numerous steppe tribes including Pechenegs, Cumans and Turkomans. Skythikoi were paid either by annual payments known as rogae, or they were given a proportion of all spoils won in battle.