Ancient Greeks called Sparta’s enslaved agricultural laborers helots.
Helots were a population tied to the land and compelled to work estates assigned to Spartan citizens. They supplied agricultural produce so that Spartiates could devote much of their time to military training, communal meals, and civic duties. Most helots came from Messenia and Laconia, territories controlled by Sparta.
Their legal and social position was distinct from that of ordinary privately owned slaves elsewhere in Greece. Helots were collectively subject to the Spartan state, though individual Spartans controlled their labor and harvest obligations. They could form families and maintain some community life, but they faced severe restrictions and periodic intimidation.
Helots were not the same as perioikoi. Perioikoi were free inhabitants of communities around Sparta who lacked full citizenship. The large helot population also shaped Spartan politics: fear of revolt influenced military decisions, internal security, and the harsh treatment described by ancient authors.