Historical Figures

Who were the HELOT?

Helots were a group of people in ancient Greece who were enslaved by the Spartans. They were mostly descended from the original inhabitants of Laconia, the region around Sparta, who had been conquered by the Spartans in the 8th century BCE.

Helots were not considered to be citizens of Sparta, and they had no rights. They were forced to work on the land owned by the Spartan citizens and were not allowed to own any property of their own. Helots were also not allowed to marry Spartan women, and their children were not considered to be Spartan citizens.

Helots were often mistreated by the Spartans. They were subject to harsh discipline, and they were often beaten and abused. In some cases, Helots were even killed by the Spartans.

The Helots were constantly monitored and controlled and, as a result, they often tried to rebel against their masters, and there were several major Helot revolts throughout Spartan history. These revolts were eventually put down by the Spartans and the Helots were forced to remain in slavery.

The institution of Heloty eventually came to an end in the 2nd century BCE, when the Spartans were defeated by the Romans and their lands were conquered.

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