Spartan citizens with full political rights were called Homoioi, meaning “Equals.”
The term described the citizen body known in Greek as the Spartiates. These men were expected to complete the agoge, participate in communal dining, and perform military duties. Full citizenship depended on more than ancestry; maintaining the required contributions and status was also important.
“Equals” did not mean that every person in Spartan society enjoyed identical wealth or influence. Political access was restricted to a minority of the population, and women, perioikoi, helots, and non-citizen residents occupied different legal and social positions.
The word is often translated simply as “equals,” while Spartiates identifies the citizen class more precisely. The perioikoi were free inhabitants of communities around Sparta, and helots were an unfree agricultural population, so neither group should be treated as Homoioi.