Society

Helots: The Slaves Who Built Ancient Sparta

The underappreciated role of the people who made ancient Sparta rich and powerful

Terra cotta tablet showing slaves working in Greek mines, dated 7th century B.C. Image source: Wikimedia Commons.

Spartans are portrayed as noble warriors fighting for freedom against an invading tyrannical force in movies like 300. But, such depictions are far from the truth.

Spartans were among the ancient world’s greatest fighters who committed their lives to military training. Behind their success was a large population of slaves known as the helots.

Helots were Greek slaves from the Laconia and Messenia regions, where Sparta was situated. Spartans subjugated the local population and forced them to labor in all aspects of society.

In essence, the Spartan army was not aimed at stopping invaders or undertaking large military conquests. They were trained to put down helot revolts and keep them under control.

At the Battle of Platea (479 B.C), there were seven helots for every Spartan, according to the Greek historian Herodotus. Helots doubled up as auxiliary forces supporting the main Spartan army.

Let us learn more about the underappreciated role of helots in building one of Ancient Greece’s mightiest city-states.

Who were the Helots?