What was the purpose of krypteia?
…the Spartan secret police, the Krypteia, to patrol the Laconian countryside and put to death any supposedly dangerous helots. Sparta’s conservative foreign policy is often attributed to the fear of revolts by the helots.
What role did the krypteia play in the Spartan social system?
According to some sources, kryptai would stalk the helot villages and surrounding countryside, spying on the servile population. Their mission was to prevent and suppress unrest and rebellion. Another point of contestation is the time of day at which the Crypteia operated.
Who were the helots and what did they do?
In Ancient Sparta, the Helots were a subjugated population of slaves. Formerly warriors, the Helots outnumbered the Spartans considerably. During the time of the Battle of Plataea, which took place in 479 B.C., there were seven Helots for every Spartan.
What was the main job of the helots?
Helots were assigned to citizens to carry out domestic work or to work on their klēroi, or portions. The klēroi, were the original divisions of Messenia after its conquest by Sparta. Various sources mention such servants accompanying this or that Spartan.
What was the Krypteia quizlet?
The krypteia was the secret police in Sparta they consisted of boys from 18 to 20 and was a regular part of the agoge.
What were Perioikoi in Sparta?
The Perioeci or Períoikoi (Greek: Περίοικοι, /peˈri. oj. koj/) were the members of a social class and population group of non-citizen inhabitants of Laconia and Messenia, the territory controlled by Sparta, concentrated in the coastal and highland areas.
Who freed the helots?
commander Epaminondas
In 371, the Theban commander Epaminondas defeated the Spartans at Leuctra, and later, he invaded the Peloponnese, where he liberated the helots of Messenia. The helots of Laconia appear to have been emancipated later by the reformer kings Cleomenes III (235-222) and Nabis (207-192).
Why did the helots revolt?
The 464 BC Sparta earthquake occurred along the Sparta fault in the year 464 BC destroying much of what was Sparta and many other city-states in ancient Greece. The earthquake gave Spartan helots an opportunity to revolt against their aristocratic rulers, and the Athenians were called to their aid.
What rights did helots have?
The helots were in a sense state slaves, bound to the soil and assigned to individual Spartans to till their holdings; their masters could neither free them nor sell them, and the helots had a limited right to accumulate property, after paying to their masters a fixed proportion of the produce of the holding. …
Who created the agoge?
lawgiver Lycurgus
The program was first instituted by the lawgiver Lycurgus (l. 9th century BCE) and was integral to Sparta’s military strength and political power. Participation by Spartan males in the agoge (pronounced ah-go-GAY in ancient Greek and ah-GOJ-uh in modern English) was mandatory.
What did they do in the agoge?
At the age of 7, Spartan boys were removed from their parents’ homes and began the “agoge,” a state-sponsored training regimen designed to mold them into skilled warriors and moral citizens. Just as all Spartan men were expected to be fighters, all women were expected to bear children.
What was the role of the Krypteia in Sparta?
In helot …the Spartan secret police, the Krypteia, to patrol the Laconian countryside and put to death any supposedly dangerous helots. Sparta’s conservative foreign policy is often attributed to the fear of revolts by the helots. During wartime helots attended their masters on campaign and served as light-armed troops and sometimes also….
Where did the Krypteia get its name from?
There is very little primary source material explicitly concerning the krypteia. Despite the paucity of the evidence, most scholars have not disputed the existence of the institution. However, given the nature of the krypteia, this is not unexpected. The etymology of the word is derived from κρυπτός, which means “hidden” or “secret”.
Is the krypteia a form of guerrilla warfare?
However, not many scholars have pointed out that the krypteia was a form of guerrilla warfare against the helot population. The members of the krypteia were not, as some have presumed, youths in need of harsh, bloody education or a secret police force.
Who was the founder of the crypteia system?
According to Aristotle, the Crypteia was established by the legendary Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus. There is no known date associated with its establishment, however. Every autumn, Spartan ephors would declare war on the helot population, allowing any Spartan citizen to kill a helot without fear of punishment.