Helots...
Who
were the Helots? The Helots were the peoples who
inhabited the lands of Messenia
which neighboured Sparta. Messenia was conquered by the
Spartans in 640-620 BC. What was their
function in Society? The Helots lived on the land of the
Homoioi
families. Their main duty was agricultural. They were
responsible for farming the land and supplying a fixed quota
of produce annually. This allowed the Spartans to focus
their attention on their military training. It was
considered beneath the Homoioi to work the land. What were their
rights? Helots were state owned serfs and
as such they were protected by the state. The state relied
heavily on their Helot population for survival, therefore to
kill or injure a Helot without reason was a serious crime.
The Helots were not the property of their Spartan 'master,'
and the state would allow no unauthorised injustices to be
dealt them. What were their
responsibilities? The Helots were responsible for
providing the Homoioi with food and produce. Without the
Helots the Spartan economy and war machine could never have
functioned as effectively as it did.
The Messenians became state-owned slaves who lived on his
Spartan master's kleros.
As a military society the Spartans relied heavily on the
Helots to provide the necessary food and provisions. Any
produce that was left over the Helot families were allowed
to keep and do with as they wished. A highly frugal society,
the Spartans were not greedy or selfish in their
consumption.
Helots could also act as servants to Spartan soldiers during
times of war. When necessary the Spartans raised whole
armies of Helots who acted as light armed soldiers. The
Helots did not desert the Spartans in battle and many were
some of the Spartans best warriors. Distinguished military
service could mean freedom for a deserving Helot and his
family.
The Helots had a huge impact on Spartan foreign policy. Fear
of a Helot result meant that the Spartan's were afraid of
foreign contacts or visitors who might encourage the Helots
to revolt. It also meant that the Spartans were hesitant to
become involved in military campaigns far from home in case
the Helots used the army's absence as an opportunity to
revolt.
Politically and legally Helots had no rights at all. The
state was free to send them or dispose of them wherever they
saw fit. The Helots could not vote and could not hold
property.
Helots out numbered Homoioi at least twenty to one and were
therefore the subject of continual suspicion. The Spartans
created an elite secret police known as the
Krypteria. The Krypteria were responsible for
keeping the Helots under control. We are told by Aristotle
that every year the Spartan Ephors
declared war on the Helots and sporadically launched
campaigns of terror and violence against
them.