Helots: class of unfree peasants in Spartan society, who may be defined as state-owned serfs. ... Unlike the slaves in Athens, helots had families and communities of their own, and they were no private property. Therefore, Pausanias calls them "slaves of the commonwealth".

Did Athens or Sparta have helots?

helot, a state-owned serf of the ancient Spartans. The ethnic origin of helots is uncertain, but they were probably the original inhabitants of Laconia (the area around the Spartan capital) who were reduced to servility after the conquest of their land by the numerically fewer Dorians.

Who used helots in ancient Greece?

In Ancient Sparta, the Helots were a subjugated population of slaves. Formerly warriors, the Helots outnumbered the Spartans considerably. During the time of the Battle of Plataea, which took place in 479 B.C., there were seven Helots for every Spartan.

What did helots do in Athens?

The helots were the slaves of the Spartans. Distributed in family groups across the landholdings of Spartan citizens in Laconia and Messenia, helots performed the labour that was the bedrock on which Spartiate leisure and wealth rested.

Which Greek city had slaves helots?

There were times when slaves in Athens probably outnumbered free people. There were different kinds of slavery in ancient Greece. Not all slaves were treated alike. In Sparta, there were state-owned slaves called helots.

Slavery - Ancient Greek Society 09

30 related questions found

How did Sparta control the helots?

It tells a lot of how efficient Sparta was at controlling helots, by murdering them, terrorizing them, brainwashing them and beating them into submission. When the Spartans dominance eroded and Greece fell to Rome, helots still did not get their freedom. Instead of being slaves in Sparta, they became slaves in Rome.

How many helots were in Sparta?

The total population of helots at that time, including women, is estimated as 170,000–224,000. Since the helot population was not technically chattel, their population was reliant on native birth rates, as opposed to prisoners of war or purchased slaves.

Why did the helots revolt?

The 464 BC Sparta earthquake occurred along the Sparta fault in the year 464 BC destroying much of what was Sparta and many other city-states in ancient Greece. ... The earthquake gave Spartan helots an opportunity to revolt against their aristocratic rulers, and the Athenians were called to their aid.

Why did the Spartans have helots?

Life of a Helot in Sparta

The helots produced agricultural products for their Spartan masters, but in emergency war situations, they had to serve as light-armed troops. When the slaves delivered their quota of produce to their masters, they could keep the remaining part.

Did Athens or Sparta have oligarchy?

The two city-states that best represent each form of government were Sparta (oligarchy) and Athens (democracy). Athens focused more on culture, while Sparta focused more on war. The oligarchy structure in Sparta enabled it to keep war as a top priority.

Who has the right to vote in Athens?

Only adult male Athenian citizens who had completed their military training as ephebes had the right to vote in Athens. The percentage of the population that actually participated in the government was 10% to 20% of the total number of inhabitants, but this varied from the fifth to the fourth century BC.

Where did Sparta get helots?

A Spartan was taught that loyalty to the state came before everything else, including one's family. The Helots, whose name means “captives,” were fellow Greeks, originally from Laconia and Messenia, who had been conquered by the Spartans and turned into slaves.

What type of government did Athens?

The first known democracy in the world was in Athens. Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century B.C.E. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government.

When did the Spartans conquer the helots?

Around 660 B.C., the Spartans attacked the Argives, who demolished the Spartans. The report of Sparta's lost gave encouragement to the Helots who started a revolt against Sparta, which is now known as the Second Messenian War​.

What are the differences between Sparta and Athens?

The main difference between Athens and Sparta is that Athens was a form of democracy, whereas Sparta was a form of oligarchy. ... Moreover, Athens' economy was mainly based on trade, whereas Sparta's economy was based on agriculture and conquering.

What was Athens known for?

Athens was the largest and most influential of the Greek city-states. It had many fine buildings and was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. The Athenians invented democracy, a new type of government where every citizen could vote on important issues, such as whether or not to declare war.

What happened when the Spartan government feared the helots?

There were many more helots than citizens in Sparta. The Spartans were afraid the helots would revolt, so they treated them very harshly. The government sometimes declared war on the helots so that it could legally kill any slaves it thought might rebel.

Did 300 Spartans really happen?

In short, not as much as suggested. It is true there were only 300 Spartan soldiers at the battle of Thermopylae but they were not alone, as the Spartans had formed an alliance with other Greek states. It is thought that the number of ancient Greeks was closer to 7,000. The size of the Persian army is disputed.

What was the Spartans justification for killing helots?

What was the krypteia? According to Plutarch, what was the Spartans' justification for killing helots? The strengths were that there were special ops practice and protecting their homeland. Judging from this document, what were the strengths of Spartan education?

How did the Athens treat their slaves?

Q: How were slaves in Athens treated? Slaves in ancient Greece were treated like pieces of property. For Aristotle they were 'a piece of property that breathes'. They enjoyed different degrees of freedom and were treated kindly or cruelly depending on the personality of the owner.

How did Sparta insult Athens in 462 BCE?

After an attempt to storm Mt. Ithome fails, the Spartans start to distrust the Athenians over concerns that they may take the side of the helots. Retaining their other allies, the Spartans sent Kimon and his men home. This insulting rebuff causes the collapse of Kimon's popularity at Athens.

Did Spartans throw babies off cliffs?

The Greek myth that ancient Spartans threw their stunted and sickly newborns off a cliff was not corroborated by archaeological digs in the area, researchers said Monday. ... “It is probably a myth, the ancient sources of this so-called practice were rare, late and imprecise,” he added.

What did helots eat?

What did helots eat? The Spartan diet overview Natural food, grown locally by the helots was were most of the Spartan diet would come from. The Spartan society was very self sufficient and this shines through in their approach to food. Common foods were meat and fish, with a wide variety of animals and fish consumed.

In what area did Sparta differ most from Athens?

Athens and Sparta differed because Athens was a democracy and Sparta was an oligarchy. Also, Spartans focused very much on military and that was the main goal-- to raise strong boys to be in the military whereas Athens wanted to raise educated people not just for fighting. Also, Sparta respected women more than Athens.

What was a Hoplite in ancient Greece?

Hoplite infantrymen were the military ideal of ancient Greece and were recruited from the wealthy middling ranks of society, particularly the farmers. They wore bronze armor breastplates, helmets, shin guards, shoulder pads, and sometimes foot protectors, thigh guards and forearm guards.