The Mesedi was the personal bodyguard of the king of the Hittites.
They probably numbered more in total in order to protect the king at all hours.
They were reinforced and probably monitored by another unit numbering 12, known as the "golden spearmen."
The Mesedi's purpose was the protection of the king against assassinations, which was endemic to the Hittite nobility.
Professor Christopher I. Beckwith has compared the Mesedi to other royal bodyguard units of Indo-European societies, generally referred to as Comitatus.