How Did Sparta Treat Its Slaves?

The helots, as the slaves in ancient Sparta were known, were the subjugated part of the population that actually made up the majority of the inhabitants of ancient Sparta.

These people were enslaved and forced to work the land that surrounded the city in order to support Spartan citizens. The role was crucial in the ancient Greek society, and the helots had a complicated and often brutal relationship with their Spartan masters.

Origins of the helots, the slaves in Sparta

Opinions on where the helots likely originated differ. However, there is a more general consensus that these people came from the conquered Messenians and Laconians in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Sparta is located in a region called Laconia. Messenia is the neighboring province.

Reduced to a mere servile status, this social class was strictly connected to the land they worked for. Unlike chattel slaves, helots had the “luxury” of enjoying some limited rights. The most prominent of these was that they could actually accumulate property. Another distinct difference of the helots compared to other ancient Greek slaves was that they were state-owned rather than the private property of individual Spartan citizens.

Role of slaves in the Spartan economy and society

As they were connected to their land, the helots primarily worked in the field of agriculture. Their main role was crucial, as they enabled free Spartans to focus on their military pursuits, which was a fundamental aspect of Spartan life.

The helots, therefore, were crucial for the production of food and the overall economic advancement and support of Spartan citizens and their society. There were also some helots who worked as domestic servants and even nurses, but the vast majority of them were involved with agricultural tasks. In times of war, which were not that uncommon for the Spartan society, the helots could also be conscripted into the military to support the sovereignty and defense of Sparta.

As they were outnumbered Spartans by a stunning ratio of 7:1, the helots enabled this truly military society to thrive but also posed a constant threat of rebellion as their sheer numbers were much larger than the free citizens, who were their masters.

Treatment and living conditions of slaves in Sparta

As the Spartans were usually cautious and even fearful of a revolt from the helots, they maintained a truly brutal and absolute control over their enslaved population. An annual declaration of war on the helots allowed them to be killed without repercussion.

It was a genuinely horrific and shocking practice if viewed through the lens of modern society. It effectively allowed ancient Spartans who were free citizens to kill helots without fear since killing was permitted in wartime according to their traditions.

This peculiar procedure included a declaration being made by the ephors each year upon their entering and assuming office. The Spartans, known for their brutal practices anyway, were used mainly as an “ideological tool” that helped them keep the helot population totally oppressed and in absolute check. The declaration itself every year did not necessarily lead to direct violence, as there was no need for that.

It was mostly an official green light by the state for the mistreatment of helots and probably subsequent killings by the Krypteia, the Spartan secret police, to intimidate the helot population and remind them of who was really in charge in the society. Ancient sources, including figures such as Aristotle and Plutarch, make mention of this annual declaration as an example of the harsh treatment of the Spartans on their subjects.

One might wonder how the Spartans differentiated between a helot and a free man. They did so by forcing the helots to wear dogskin caps as well as leather garments. These were used as marks of their slavery status. Additionally, the helots were also ritually humiliated and mistreated.

Despite this truly harsh treatment, helots were also allowed to live a more normal life when they were not in danger. They had the right to live within family units and practice their religion, albeit under strict supervision by a free citizen. Some could even accumulate property. If they managed to gain enough profit from it, they could even buy their freedom.

Revolts and impact on Spartan society

It doesn’t come as a surprise then that the Spartans lived in constant fear of Helot uprisings. This also likely influenced Sparta’s militaristic culture. Thus, Spartans were known throughout the ancient world for their stamina and strength.

Major revolts did happen, adding fuel to the paranoia of an overall revolution amongst the Spartans. These were recorded in the 7th century BC and after a devastating earthquake in 464 BC.

Obviously, the Spartans were heavily dependent on their large enslaved populations to support their way of life. However, they were also understandably constrained by the sheer fact that their enslaved population was simply just too large. Helot revolts were therefore sometimes exploited by Sparta’s enemies in an attempt to cause chaos from within, ruining their morale and organizational skills during wartime.

Even though it lasted for centuries, the slavery Helot system of Sparta ultimately collapsed following a series of historical events. This contributed significantly to the overall decline of Sparta by the 2nd century BC.

What the helots meant for Sparta

It would be safe to say that the helots were fundamentally essential to Spartan society but also heavily and brutally oppressed. The constant tensions between the slaves and their free masters and the subsequent revolts between them are evidence of the cruelty of ancient slavery that, unfortunately, continued to be practiced in various ways for many centuries in different parts of the world.

The helots’ unique status as slaves who were actually owned by the state rather than by individual citizens of the Spartan society is something that has drawn the interest of many historians and scholars who focus on the history of slavery in the ancient world and how this extended its elements to the modern era. The ability of the Spartan helots to form and maintain their own families, accumulate property for their own good, and even potentially (under strict requirements) buy their freedom distinguishes them from the more well-known forms of slavery that we are familiar with today.

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Our modern understanding of slavery is based on our knowledge of slavery in Europe and America only just a few centuries ago. This has led to quite interesting academic debates about the precise definition and nature of helotage. Some people argue that the dynamics of slavery in Sparta were unique and blurred the lines between slavery and freedom.

However, the helots are also a great reminder to us all of the brutality and oppression that can arise in societies no matter how well-developed these might be. The constant fear of the Spartan state that helot revolts could overthrow their status quo shaped the Spartan culture and institutions profoundly.

Additionally, the particularly interesting fact that the enemies of Sparta repetitively tried to exploit this weakness by inciting helot uprisings shows how vulnerable the Spartan system was despite its superficial projection of brutal strength. In this sense, the helots are proof of how the moral and practical failings of slavery are easily visible even in a society that thrived millennia before the last abolition of slavery in the modern world.