Social Structure of Sparta
Social Group
Ancient Writers
Position and duties in society
Spartiates
 Plutarch – spoke of the strict, equal and
warrior lifestyle experienced by the
Spartans in the agoge.
 Xenophon
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Social Group
Ancient Writers
Position and duties in society
Spartans never numbered more than
10,000.
Privileged social clan, holding political
power.
All equal under law.
Lived by a high code of honour that
involved courage, loyalty, endurance and
obedience.
Women and men were trained to be fit.
Men were warriors and women made
warriors.
Never carried out menial tasks.
Were provided with public land and
Helots.
Were required to be full-time warriors
totally committed to the state.
Spartan Citizenship - Homoioi
 Plutarch on Sparta – Lycurgus
 Xenophon
 Herodotus
 Thucydides
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Both parents must be married Spartans to
become a Spartiate.
If born of Spartans who were not
married, the child was made and outcast.
At the age of 7, all Spartiates must attend
and pass all stages of the agoge. Those
who failed the training became outcasts.
Most have a mess club in which hey
contributed food to maintain citizenship.
Full time soldiers for the state.
Gained full citizenship at the age of
thirty.
Must exercise to keep fit.
Cannot do menial duties and commerce.
Expected to produce children.
Spartiate males over 60 years who come
from aristocracy elite able to join
Gerousia.
Once becoming full citizen Spartiate
men were able to join Ekklesia.
Social Group
Ancient Writers
Helots
 Plutarch – “In other ways too, Spartiates
treatment of Helot was callous…”
- “Force them to drink quantities of unmixed
wine... to show what drunkenness was like...”
- “Class distinction… reflected fully in
statement, there is nothing to much either the
freedom of the free men of Sparta or the
slavery of the slave.”
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“Such ill treatment on part of the
Spartiates… developed later.”
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Xenophon - “Lycurgus believed that
female slaves would suffice for
producing clothes”.
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“The Spartans voted that the helots who
had fought Brasidas should be free and
should live wherever they wanted.”
“Regarded treatment of helots by masters
as harsh”.
70% of Spartan population was Helots.
Could not be bought or sold.
Produced food.
Treated harshly and humiliatingly.
Were killed by Krypteia (secret police).
Helot found roaming the countryside.
Beginning of each year, magistrates
declared war on them.
Expected to fight during foreign wars.
Worked on land and kept a portion of all
produced.
Lived with their families.
Were only allocated to Spartiates who
owned them.
Acted as military servants to Spartiates
during war.
Could occasionally be given their
freedom.
Position and duties in society
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Social Group
Ancient Writers
Position and duties in society
Perioeci - ‘Dwellers around’
 Herodotus – recorded that 500 Perioeci
went as Hoplites to the battle of Phetare
in 479BC.
 Xenophon – writes of a Spartan
expedition in the early 4th century which
attracted perioeci volunteers.
 Thucydides tells of perioeci joining the
revolt from two Messenian towns for the
Helots.
 Pliny and Herodotus – mention them
making shoes, garments and objects of
iron.
 Their village served as a wall or buffer
zone against escaping Helots.
 Chief contribution to the Spartans was
economic – engaged in trade and
industry.
 All adult males of the perioeci expected
to serve as hoplites alongside Spartiates,
they were not involved with agoge.
 Those alongside the coast were
fisherman, ship builders and were the
best sailors in the navy.
 Autonomous (self governing) in their
communities and had local citizenship.
 Not permitted to intermarry with
Spartiates.
 Perioeci took part in some of the Spartan
religious festivals such as the
Proucchera.
 Engaged in mining, manufacturing and
commerce, moreover all mined and
marine resources.
 Procured and manufactured metals for
weapons towards the military.
Social Group
Ancient Writers
Position and duties in society
Social Group
Ancient Writers
Position and duties in society
Inferiors and Outcasts
 Xenophon – Hellenica, known as
Hypomeiones. “Inferiors became a
significant problem in the second half of
the 5th century and later. Inferiors could
also be the group as the moth aces”.
 Plutarch – “Inferiors are required to give
way in the street. And cannot be
cheerful… if cheerful must be beaten by
owners… will not marry and will pay
fines for such deeds… must give up seat
even to youth.”
 Neither citizen nor slave.
 Illegitimate offspring of Helot mother
and Spartiate fathers.
 Helots who showed worth in battle (were
inferiors).
 Spartan cowards who lost citizenship
(because of cowardice during battle).
 Helot children adopted as playmates for
Spartan children.
 Wore special clothing and unshaven.
 Exercised alone, avoided everyone.
 Could not vote.
 Outcasts were Tresantes – criminals and
cowards deprived of special gegrees in
society.
 Were spat at.
 Sat alone at festivals and were unable to
marry.
 Were disaffected people (such as lepers
and lames) in society.
Women
 Xenophon
 Plutarch
 Thucydides
 Herodutus
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Limited freedom
Trained with men
Did no menial tasks
No right to vote or hold office.
Were extremely wealthy – landowners
through inheritance.
Performed at festivals and kings funerals.
Given dowries.