What is "psiloi"

In Ancient Greek warfare, psiloi ( Ancient Greek , plural of , psilos, literally “bare, stripped”), were extremely light infantry who acted as skirmishers and missile troops.

Psiloi, often used as a broad term to describe types of unarmored or lightly armored infantry, have often been more explicitly referred to by other names, such as gymnetes (lit. naked) or euzonoi (light armored; after whom the modern Evzones are named), grosphomachoi and akontistai (javelineers), sphendonetai (slingers), toxotai (bowmen or archers) or lithoboloi (stone throwers). The peltastai (bearers of light shields, targeteers) are often categorized as an intermediary infantry type, later grouped either with the psiloi or the heavy infantry, according to their main tactical role.

In Greek and Byzantine literature, the psiloi are light troops equipped with missiles, able to fight irregularly in a loose formation.