The term acrites (frontiersman) is the transliteration of the Greek word ακρίτης, deriving from άκρα meaning edges - frontiers, being the Greek rendition of Latin limitaneus. It first appears in the 10th century. Byzantine historian Porphyrogenytus mentions that Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ...