 The infantry still played an important role when the empire needed to demonstrate its strength.In fact many battles, throughout Byzantine history, began with a frontal assault by the skutatoi with support from the horse archer units known as "Hippo-toxotai" ("Equites Sagittarii").During these assaults the infantry was deployed in the center, that consisted of two chiliarchiai in wedge formation to break enemy's line, flanked by two more chilarchiai in a "refused wing formation" to protect the center and envelop the enemy.