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Helots were Messenian servants who lived in Sparta after Sparta took over their homeland. They had very little rights and were treated as servants, though they are not considered common slaves because they often fought in wars and had families. In fact, if a helot served honorably in a war, it could be possible that they would be allowed to be free. yo yo yo
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Maxine"Helots" was the name for the slaves of the Spartan citizens. Force is a traditional way of slaveholders to keep their slaves in line. Moreover, Spartan law explicitly allowed its citizens to use any kind of force (including killing) on its Helots with impunity. As history has shown over and over, giving any group of people unlimited and unchecked power over another group of people always and invariably leads to excesses and violence.
The Spartans took helots to war with them - for two reasons.
First was to use them as light infantry and archers.
Second was that the helots outnumbered the Spartan citizens by a large factor, so that they took seven helots for each Spartan armoured warrior with them went they went on campaign to reduce the number left at home and able to get up to mischief in their absence.
It is rarely mentioned, but at the fight at Thermopylae as well as the 300 Spartan warriors who died, 2,100 helots died fighting with them.
At the battle of Plataea the following year, as well as the 5,000 Spartan hoplites there were 35,000 helots backing them up - making it by far the largest contingent in the Greek army facing the Persians.
After a series of wars, the numbers of Spartan warriors declined seriously, and during the Peloponnesian War, helots were recruited as armoured warriors as well, on a promise that if they served well they would be freed from serfdom.
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Who were the native people the Spartans enslaved to do work?
Helots
I was a member of a group who had to work on Spartans' farms. Who am I?
helots
What would Spartans do if they couldn't grow crops.?
The Spartans did not grow crops. The serf population (helots) were obliged to deliver half their produce to the Spartan state, which distributed it to the Spartan citizens.
Why did Spartans stress military training?
Because the leaders thought that a military society created more obedient and loyal citizens
How did fear revolts by the helots influence life in Sparta?
Basically, since the Spartans and Lacedaemonians (people who lived around Sparta were in constant fear of being attacked by hordes of revolting helots, they changed their life style. They made sure that every farmer and able bodied man was able to take up arms, they developed a higher interest in the wellbeing of the state, and changed themselves into completely militarily oriented killing machines. hi
