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Helots And Periokoi Flashcards

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1
Q

Aristotle on ownership of slaves?

A

Aristotle, politics 2:

“In lakedaimon they use each others slaves practically as their own”

Economy

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2
Q

Plut. on helot rent?

A

Plut. Moralia 239:

“Charging a higher rent was forbidden so that the helots might make some profit and be happy to serve, and the masters would not be greedy for more”

Economy

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3
Q

Thuc. On helot ethnicity?

A

Thuc. 1.101:

“Helots were decedents of the original indigenous population of messenia” - difficult to ally with ethnic kin

Foreign policy

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4
Q

Tyrtaeus on forced activity of helots?

A

Tyrtaeus frag. 6:

“Like asses under heavy burden, bringing to their masters from grievous necessity half of all the produce the ploughland bears”

Individual/collective freedom (helots)
Economy

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5
Q

Strabo on what people were allowed to do with their slaves?

A

Strabo, geog. 8.5.4:

“Slaves with the stipulation that their owner was not allowed to free them nor sell them abroad”

Individual/collective freedom (helots)

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6
Q

Strabo summary of helots?

A

Strabo, geog. 8.5.5:

“State slaves in a particular way, assigning certain settlements for them and particular duties”

Economy

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7
Q

Kritias on killing helots?

A

Kritias on slavery 2.87:

“With regard to helots the right of killing first”

Military (good)

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8
Q

Kritias on storage of shields?

A

Kritias on slavery 2.87:

“Because of mistrust towards these helots, a spartiaite at home takes the handle out of his shield”

Also have locks
Military (bad)

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9
Q

Kritias on polar lives in Sparta?

A

Kritias on slavery 2.87:

“The most enslaved and most free are in Sparta”

Individual/collective freedom (both)

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10
Q

Myron on helot treatment?

A

Myron. fr 106:

“Treated the helots with utmost arrogance… imposed on the helots every demeaning task leading to their complete humiliation”

Individual/collective freedom (helots)

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11
Q

Myrons acts against the helots?

A

Myron fr 106:

“All wear a dog skin cap; be dressed in animal skins; receive a set no. Beatings per year regardless of any wrongdoing”

Killed if looked too happy, owners penalised if they got fat

Individual/collective freedom (helots)

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12
Q

Myron conditions of assigning helots land?

A

Myron fr 106:

“They always set a fixed amount that they must produce for them”

economy

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13
Q

School of Aristotle on krypton and helots?

A

School of Aristotle:

“By night they use weapons to kill as many helots as is expedient”

Military (good)

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14
Q

Plut. what did Krypteia do at night?

A

Plut. lyk 28:

“they would cut the throat of any helot that they caught… and murder those with the strongest and most powerful physique”
Fought with only daggers

Military (good)

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15
Q

Who does Plut. cite describing atrocities towards helots?

A

In lyk 28 he cites Thuc. recounting helot massacre behind temple

Military (questionable)

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16
Q

Plut. examples of brutality to helots?

A

Plut lyk 28:

“they would compel them to drink large quantities of undiluted wine… as an example to the young men… compel them to sing songs and dance dances that are vulgar and demeaning”

Individual/collective freedom (helots)

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17
Q

What do Plut and Kritias agree on?

A

Sparta has both the most free men and the most oppressed slaves

Individual/collective freedom (both)

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18
Q

When does Plut think the brutality starts?

A

After the great earthquake and revolt in 465 - doesn’t believe lyk. made the krypteia

Military (bad)
Foreign policy

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19
Q

Phylarchos - What are mothakes?

A

“foster brothers of the lakedaimonians… are free but not actually spartans but still share exactly the same education”

3rd Century

Individual/collective freedom

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20
Q

Aelian - what are mothakes, examples?

A

“callicratidas and gylippus and lysander were called mothakes… slaves for the wealthy whom fathers sent along their sons to train alongside them… having allowed them to mingle in the boys agoge gave them Spartan citizenship”

Third century AD

Individual/collective freedom
Military (excellent)

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21
Q

What did Perioikoi get in lyk reforms - Plut.?

A

“the land of Laconia into 30,000 alotments”

supposedly poorer quality

Economy

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22
Q

Who says spartans don’t have Imports?
what does this mean?

A

Plut.
If Perioikoi and helots are exporting then they must have lots of money not being spent

Economy

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23
Q

Xen. why don’t women work?

A

lac pol 1:
“There are enough female slaves to produce clothing” - allowed to train and better cope with births

Aristotle doesn’t like this freedom

Individual/collective freedom (spartans)

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24
Q

Xen what do spartans do to stop helot threat on camp?

A

lac pol. 12:

“Had sentries posted looking inwards by day along the lines of the arms stores to protect them from their friends, not their enemies”

military (bad)

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25
Who were skiriti and what did they do?
Xen lac pol 12: "set the skiriti to patrol a defensive outer" would also be first into battle Elite Perioikoi cavalry reconnaissance Military (good)
26
Ratio of helots to spartans and Perioikoi at Platea?
Hdt. 9.28: "10,000 lakedaimonions... of them 5,000 were spartans... 35,000 light-armed-helots - 7 serving each man" Military (good)
27
Plut. what did helots do day to day?
"the helots worked the land for them and paid over a portion of the produce" lyk 28 ECONOMY
28
H. Mitchell's view of helot problem?
"spartans lived on top of a volcano that might erupt at any time" foreign policy Individual/collective freedom (spartans)
29
rest of Greece's view on the helots?
Disagreed with the enslavements of fellow Greeks especially athens - more likely to support in revolt more difficult for sparta to form alliances due to animosity foreign policy
30
What help did helot revolt stop sparta from giving?
Couldn't help in thasos revolt from athens in 465 - disliked being away from peloponnese too long (turned back before siege of sestos, 479) Was also a waste of scarce military resources foreign policy
31
Xen what do spartiaites carry at all times on campaign?
Spear to take out unruly revolutionary helots Military (bad)
32
What was beneficial about killing helots?
- subdued and reduced risk of revolt - trained youths for fighting/killing - dehumanised to distance form enslavement/justify it.
33
Thuc. why was sparta so eager for Brasidas' campaign?
"they were glad to have a good reason to send helots out of the country (700)... [because] they feared a revolution" Military (good) Individual/collective freedom (helots)
34
What happened with Brasidas and Helots?
He took them on campaign to northern greece "liberated" cities, died at Amphipolis in 422. Helots settled and freed. (Thuc.) Useful as doesn't make oliganthropia worse Military (good)
35
Why was Athens sent home?
Thought were going to spread ideas of freedom to helots in 465 - damaged relations (Thuc) Foreign policy
36
Could helots be freed?
Brasideans freed for military service, (settled at lepreum) as well as supply runners to troops on sphacteria (thuc) Military Individual/collective freedom (helots)
37
What does Helot drafting as hoplites suggest?
Thuc documentation suggests gain more freedoms towards end of period: OK but still slaves > bad because of revolt > better but only because of oliganthropia Individual/collective freedom
38
Critias view vs Pollux's? (Helot status)
Critias: "especially slaves" Pollux: "between free men and slaves" Individual/collective freedom (helots)
39
What did ephorfs do each autum?
declared war on the helots so "their murder would always be free from religious pollution" (plut) part of ritual mistreatment/brutality Military Individual/collective freedom
40
Assignment of an average helot?
To citizens doing domestic tasks, accompanying around town or on campaign - belonged to state so couldn't be bought or sold (strabo) Individual/collective freedom (both)
41
Did helots have a normal-ish life?
Yes, had wife (Tyrteus) , kids, property rights - could be skilled artisans/craftsmen like Perioikoi Individual/collective freedom (Both)
42
Why were helot women useful (not clothes)
Strong women helots impregnated by spartan men to produce new boy soldiers (mothakes) to reduce oliganthropia (possibly state sponsored, could just be private though) - girls exposed (plut) Military (good)
43
What shows Spartans always feared helots?
Thuc. - "most spartan institutions have always been designed with a view to security against the helots" Foreign policy Military (middle)
44
What does Cartledge claim the history of sparta is?
"fundamentally a class struggle between Spartans and Helots"
45
When did crypteia murder rights come in?
after revolt in 465 (plut) Military (good) Individual/collective freedom (helots)
46
What were helots forced to turn over (exact)?
Plut: 70 medimnoi of barley/man 12 per woman oil and wine sufficient to sustain warrior and family Economy Individual/collective freedom (spartans)
47
what did spartans and helots owe the good economy to?
Economy was basically food and laconia and messenia was so fertile it would usually produce 2 crops a year
48
What does perioikoi and helot mean?
Outdweller and captive respectively (Cartledge)
49
Where did the perioikoi occupy?
Less fertile costal areas acting as a first line of defence against helots (cartledge)
50
Rights and roles of perioikoi?
No political rights outside own towns but formally free men, used by Spartans as hoplites and craftsmen to support economy and campaigns (Cartledge)
51
Did perioikoi cause problems?
Thuc. 2 towns joined in helot revolt of 465, little evidence of revolt pre-leuctra (Cartledge)
52
How did perioikoi integrate at home and on campaign?
Fought separately to Spartans pre 464 then within ranks as hoplites (hence lambda on shield for lakedaimonians) but did not go through agoge or join mess (Cartledge)
53
What were perioikoi probably in charge of?
Naval dockyard for Laconia at gytheum and responsible for making bronze figures, statues, armour etc. (Cartledge)
54
What did perioikoi do at Mantinea (418)?
Skiriti elite force from skiritis lead recon force and was instrumental in battle (Cartledge)
55
4 useful activities of perioikoi?
- mined iron - traded goods in and out - they were sailors and tradesmen - they were craftsmen and weapons smiths
56
57
Xen. Term for sons of helot mothers Spartan fathers?
Nothoi
58
Who was Aristotle?
Athenian writer c. 340s, liked Spartan laws and disliked spartans
59
Who is Tyrtaeus?
One of tho only Spartan sources; martial poet around messenian wars with audience over generations of Spartans (c. 700-650?)
60
Who was Herodotus?
Well travelled eastern Greek from harlikanassus who spent most time in Athens writing 450-425 with a Panhellenic agenda
61
Who is Xenophon?
4th century Athenian (post leuctra) pro spartan agenda who integrated into Spartan society (sons in agoge); close friends with agiselaios
62
Who is Kritias?
Athenian oligarch (460-03bc ) one of 30 tyrants (possibly pro spartan)
63
Who is Plutarch?
1st Century Ad Delphic priest, moralist and biographer; Accessed vast libraries at Delphic with many lost sources (rarely cited)
64
Who is Thucydides?
Athenian general exiled in 424 after failing to protect amphipolis; resulted in getting wide access to both viewpoints and eyewitnesses - wrote 424 to 400 ( breaks off 411)
65
How does Aristotle describe the helots?
“They were like an enemy constantly sitting in wait” Military (bad) Freedom (Spartans)
66
Noble act by helot? (Hdt. )
Eurytus is guided back to Thermopylae while blind in order to fight Military (good) Loyal to state
67
How did helots influence peace of nicias?
Thuc. Sparta fears helots on campaign will desert so make quick peace Foreign policy Military (bad)
68
Role of helots in Sicilian expedition?
Thuc. Picked helots sent with hoplites and freedmen in 413 campaign Military (good)
69
What does Moses Finlay note about relations between helots and Spartans fighting as equals?
Too different classes so phalanx mentality doesn’t work Military (bad)
70

Concise Notes (14 decks)

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