The horrifying reality of being a helot slave in ancient Sparta

The origins of the helots go back to the Messenian Wars, a series of conflicts in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. 

During these wars, Sparta, who needed farm land and resources, invaded Messenia, a rich region to their west. 

At the end of the first war, which lasted from 743 to 724 BCE, they conquered the region and forced its people into slavery. 

These conquered Messenians became the first helots. 

By contrast with slaves in other Greek city-states, helots were not considered personal property.

Instead, the state owned them, and they were tied to the land they worked. 

This form of state-controlled slavery set the stage for a long and difficult relationship between the helots and their Spartan masters. 

Under this system, the Spartan constitution given by Lycurgus established every Spartiate male citizen as a soldier, and their work was made possible by the helots.

The social structure of ancient Sparta was unique. At the top were the Spartiates, the full citizens who enjoyed the privileges and duties of military and political life. 

Below them were the Perioeci, or 'dwellers around,' who were free but non-citizen residents involved in trade and crafts. 

At the bottom of this social pyramid were the helots, treated as slaves tied to the land and the state. 

In practical terms, while the full citizens were busy with military training and running the city, the helots produced the food for the city-state. 

This division of work was a key part of Spartan society. Through this system, by assigning most of the work producing food and goods to the helots, Sparta could maintain a full-time army of citizens, a privilege that few other city-states could afford. 

Under this setup, Sparta became a leading military power in ancient Greece, but it also created reliance on a slave class. 

Each family received a number of helots to work their kleros, a plot of land granted by the state.

In addition, the produce from these lands supported each household and also went to communal meals known as syssitia. 

In return for their work, helots could keep a portion of the produce, but the extra yield was claimed by the masters and the state. 

However, this system was very efficient but filled with moral and ethical problems. 

On one hand, it allowed the citizen-soldiers to focus on war; on the other, it kept a system of inequality and exploitation going. 

In practice, from dawn to dusk, helots worked in farming. They ploughed the fields, planted seeds, and harvested crops. 

They also looked after livestock, an important part of the economy. 

Despite their hardships, they managed to create a sense of normal life by living in family groups and raising children.

They even practised religious rituals, although their Spartan masters watched them closely. 

Apart from their farm work, they also performed a range of tasks that the city-state’s citizens considered beneath them. 

This included household chores like cooking, cleaning, and caring for babies and children from the ruling families.

Although the helots were mainly farm workers, their role went beyond the fields and pastures of Laconia and Messenia. 

They were also forced into military service, but not as equals to the full citizens. 

Instead, they worked in support roles as attendants who carried equipment and sometimes served as light infantry. 

Under these conditions, this military service had both advantages and drawbacks for those enslaved.

On one hand, it put them in great danger and hardship; on the other, it offered a rare chance to move up.

Helots who won distinction in battle could sometimes earn freedom, although such cases were rare.

Historical records show that during the Peloponnesian War in 424 BCE, the Spartan general Brasidas recruited helots for the campaign and promised them freedom in return for their service. 

Their military involvement was for practical reasons and also a calculated risk by the rulers. 

Because the full citizens were outnumbered by the helots, sometimes by as much as ten to one, deciding to bring them into military campaigns required care. 

Too much power could lead to rebellion, yet too little could result in lack of effectiveness and low morale. 

As a safeguard, severe punishments were put in place for any helot who did not follow orders. 

To support this, the Krypteia, a type of secret police force that worked to prevent possible helot rebellions and to kill leaders.

It helped to keep control of the enslaved population.

Despite the harsh methods used to keep them as slaves, the helots sometimes rebelled against their Spartan masters.

They took advantage of weak times to challenge the system that held them. 

One of the most important rebellions happened after a terrible earthquake in the city around 464 BCE. 

That disaster caused great damage to the city, killed thousands of citizens, and gave the helots a rare chance to rebel. 

They took advantage of the moment and staged a major revolt, causing widespread fear and forcing the rulers to seek help from others to stop it.

While the revolt was eventually put down, it had a lasting impact on society. The fear of helot revolts was so widespread that it affected relations with other states, plans for war, and the way the city-state ran its own society. 

Because of that, the rulers were reluctant to take part in long military campaigns far from home since they feared that those enslaved would rebel in their absence. 

This fear was sensible; they had a history of using the warrior class’s absence to rebel. 

Despite the brutal methods used by those in power, the threat of revolt was always present in society.