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 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search Funerary stele of Mnesarete ; a young servant (left) is facing her dead mistress. [1] Attica, circa 380 BC. (Glyptothek, Munich, Germany) Slavery was common practice and an integral component of ancient Greece throughout its rich history, as it was in other societies of the time including ancient Israel and early Christian societies.[2][3][4] It is estimated that in Athens, the majority of citizens owned at least one slave. Most ancient writers considered slavery not only natural but necessary, but some isolated debate began to appear, notably in Socratic dialogues while the Stoics produced the first condemnation of slavery recorded in history.[4] In conformity with modern historiographical practice, this article will discuss only chattel (personal possession) slavery, as opposed to dependent groups such as the penestae of Thessaly or the Spartan helots, who were more like medieval serfs (an enhancement to real estate). The chattel slave is an individual deprived of liberty and forced to submit to an owner who may buy, sell, or lease him or her like any other chattel.

Jump to: navigation , search Funerary stele of Mnesarete ; a young servant (left) is facing her dead mistress. [1] Attica , circa 380 BC. ( Glyptothek , Munich , Germany ) Slavery

rta's powerful army is ready for war. Athens knows that it cannot defeat this army ... but it has a Navy and Sparta does not. The year is 430 BC. Poliphus and his family from Athens and Sparcus and his family from Sparta are thinking about the future. They each have different points of view!! Cool site!

, all slaves were owned by the state. The helots (as the Spartan slaves were known)

Helots formed the basis of the Spartan economy and were essential to food

, they were treated like animals. Helots were bound to the land, unable to leave.

Government Sparta had its own system of government which was very different from the other city states. Rule was shared between two kings, the Gerousia and the Assembly. Most citizens Spartans were either Perioeci (citizens who paid taxes, served in the army and were protected by Spartan laws) or Helots (people from lands conquered and ruled by Sparta who had no rights).

middle class, called the Perioeci

farmers and artisans who were the descendants of those peoples whom the Spartans had first conquered,

had no real political rights

the helots: a slave class descended from those peoples who had resisted subjugation by Sparta

Spartans attempted to control them by forming a secret society that annually murdered any helot suspected of encouraging subversion.

The other exception was that the sons of a helot could be enrolled as a syntrophos if a Spartiate formally adopted him and paid his way.

Others in the state were the Perioikoi, who were free inhabitants of Spartan territory but were non-citizens, and the helots

Descendants of non-Spartan citizens were not able to follow the agoge and Spartans who could not afford to pay the expenses of the Agoge could lose their citizenship.

Sparta could not readily replace citizens lost in battle