Sparta possessed a significant and portentous problem with its need to control the helots of both Laconia, and Messenia. Moreover, the very Spartan system was founded upon the need to establish a hegemonic and despotic hold onto the helot populations of the Peloponnesus. Sparta was very isolated from the rest Greece. Moreover, Sparta did not possess the colonies that other poleis possessed to alleviate population increases as well as environmental pressures. In effect, Sparta created a warrior class that was dedicated to the defense of the state, and polis from the threat of the helots. According to Pomeroy, “The Spartan economic system was designed to enable citizens to devote all their time and energy to the welfare of the polis.” Furthermore,
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Moreover, Aristotle states that “the Helots were like “an enemy constantly sitting in wait for disasters of the Spartans”. Furthermore, the Helot rebellion of 464 B.C.E demonstrates that the Helots were very cunning, and opportunistic to wait for a very detrimental earthquake that destroyed significant parts of Sparta. Therefore, this rebellion confirmed Spartan fears that the Helots might revolt in the future if Sparta was to suffer another calamity such as an earthquake, or if Sparta is engaged in a very long, and dragged out war far from Sparta. Moreover, Sparta was very conservative when it came to foreign conflicts, or intervention. In the case of the aftermath of the Greco-Persian wars Sparta was not wanting to entangle itself in a long dragged out war because of the fear of the Helots rebelling, and destroying the Spartan system that the Spartan citizens held so dear to them. In addition, according to Cartledge “the likeliest potential Lakonian source is a fugitive Helot, though presumably not one of the 2000 supposedly being liberated for services to Sparta only to discover that by volunteering for freedom they had volunteered for their own death-sentence.” Moreover, this act of brutality demonstrates the paranoia that the Spartans felt towards the Helots, and the possibility of rebellion. Even though the Spartans
Moreover, Aristotle states that “the Helots were like “an enemy constantly sitting in wait for disasters of the Spartans”. Furthermore, the Helot rebellion of 464 B.C.E demonstrates that the Helots were very cunning, and opportunistic to wait for a very detrimental earthquake that destroyed significant parts of Sparta. Therefore, this rebellion confirmed Spartan fears that the Helots might revolt in the future if Sparta was to suffer another calamity such as an earthquake, or if Sparta is engaged in a very long, and dragged out war far from Sparta. Moreover, Sparta was very conservative when it came to foreign conflicts, or intervention. In the case of the aftermath of the Greco-Persian wars Sparta was not wanting to entangle itself in a long dragged out war because of the fear of the Helots rebelling, and destroying the Spartan system that the Spartan citizens held so dear to them. In addition, according to Cartledge “the likeliest potential Lakonian source is a fugitive Helot, though presumably not one of the 2000 supposedly being liberated for services to Sparta only to discover that by volunteering for freedom they had volunteered for their own death-sentence.” Moreover, this act of brutality demonstrates the paranoia that the Spartans felt towards the Helots, and the possibility of rebellion. Even though the Spartans