Toxotai (Ancient Greek:τοξόται,romanized: toxotai,lit. 'archers'; singular:τοξότης,toxótēs) wereAncient Greek andByzantinearchers.During the ancient period they were armed with a short Greek bow and a short sword. They carried a littlepelte (or pelta) (πέλτη) shield.
Hippotoxotai (ἱπποτοξόται) weremounted archers and rode ahead of thecavalry.
The termtoxotes was used to describe the mythicSagittarius, a legendary creature thought to be acentaur.[1]
Unlikecavalry orhoplites, toxotai tended to come from the lower classes of citizens, at least inAthens. They were viewed with prejudice by both the elite and the non-elite in Greek society, many of their contemporaries thought of them as cowards. Classical Athenians usually defined courage in terms of hoplites remaining steadfast in the face of danger, accepting the possibility of injury or death; archers never put themselves in such physical danger, and thus were not courageous.[2]
Toxotai also referred to the class of public slaves, orDemosioi, also known asScythian archers, who were depicted as carrying bows and were tasked with preserving order in certain public spaces, similar to a police force.
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