Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

TIELOTES. HELOTES. 591I. 96; Plut. Aristid. 24; Andoc. de Pace, p. 107.) j called E'XArcTes, but'ENXeZo (Strab. I.c.) or'EA.caThe office was retained after the treasury was Tal (Athen. vi. p. 271). The naule has beer
transferred to Athens on the proposal of the Sa- also derived from E'Ar, marsshes, as if it signified
tmians (Plut. Aristid. 25; Dioed. xii. 38), but ineabitanfs of te lowlcan2ds. But MIUiller seems to
was of course abolished on the conquest of Athens be nearer the mark in explaining EIXW'IXES as meanby the Lacedaemuonians. The Hellenotamia; e were ing prisoners, from the root of iXec', to take, like
not reappointed after the restoration of the demo- /I 8es from the root of baudw. I-He supposes that
cracy; for which reason the grmmlnarians afford they were an aboriginal race, who were subdued at
tis little information respecting their duties. a very early period, and who naturally passed over
IBickh, however, concludes from inscriptions that as slaves to the Doric conquerors. It is objected
they were probably tell in number, chosen by lot, by Thirlwall that this theory does not account for
like the treasurers of the gods, out of the Pentaco- tile hereditary enmity between them and their
siomedimni, and that they did not enter upon their masters; for unless they lost their liberty by the
office at the beginning of the year, but after the Dorian conquest, there is no probability that it
Panathena':a and the first Pry taneils. With regard placed them in a worse condition than before. But
to their duties, Bickh supposes that they remained to this objection, we may oppose the acute observtreasurers of the monies collected fiom the'allies, ation of Grote, that those dangers from the servile
and that payments for certain objects weree,ssigned population, the dread of which is the only probable
to them. In the first place they woluld of course cause that can be assigned for the cruelty of the
pay the expenses of wars in the common cause, as Spartans, and the consequent resentment of the
the contributions were originally designed for that IHelots, "did not become serious until after the
purpoe e; but as the Athenians ill course of time Mlessenian war - nor indeed until after the gradual
considered the money as their own propert-, thle diminution of the number of Spartan citizens had
Hellenotamiiae had to pay the Theoricr anid mili- made itself felt."
tary expenses not connected with wars oil behalf At the end of the second Messenian war (B. c.
of the common cause. (icklih, FPois. lcozt. of 66), the conquered Messenians were reduced to
Atilens, p. 176, 2nd ed.; C(oa?. iso rip2). No. 147.) slavery, and included under the denomination of
1ELLO'TIA. [EILOTIA.] HIelots. Their condition appears to have been the
IIELO'TES (Ei'XTrcS, the Latin form Ilotae is sianle, with some slight differences, as that of the
also used, Liv. xxxiv. 27), were a class of bonds- other Helots. But, in addition to that rememmen sublject to Sparta. lihe whole of the ilihabit- brance of their fieedom, which made not only them,
ants of Laconlia were included ill the three classes but, through their influence, the whole class of
of Spartans, Perioeci, and Helots, of wholm the Ilelots more and more dangerous to their masters,
1-elots were the lowest. They formed the rustic they preserved the recollection of their national expopulation, as distinguished both from the inhabit- istence, and -ere ready to seize any opportunity of
ants of Sparta itself, and fi'om the Perioeci who regaining it,; until, at length, the policy of Epamidwelt in the large towns. (Liv. 1. c.) Their con- nlondas, after the battle of Leuctra, restored the
dition was that of serfs attachled to the lsnd, al- imain bodv of these Messenianl Ielots to their
seriptiglebae; and theyr appear to have been the oly country, w here they ino doubt formed the chief part
class ofslaves saiong tle lacedtnemo nianis. Differeint of the popuilation of the new city of Messene.
etymologies are giv-e of their namlle. The colismon (Thirlwall, l:iust. of Greece, vol. v. pp. 104, 10.5.)
account is, that they were oliginally the Aclalean The IIelots were regarded as the property of the
inhabitants of the town of IHelos in Laconia, Wilo, state, whichl, while it gave their services to indivihaving been the last to submitto the Dorian ilnvalders, du!s, reserved to itself the power of emancipating
and thatonly aftera desperate struggle, were rednced thesl. (1'lshorus, alp Stroll. 1. c.; Paus. 1. c.) They
bythe victorsto slavery. (Pas. iii. 20. ~ 6; Ila-rpocr. were attached to the land, and could not be sold
s.v. erAXorTEVeL, who cites Hellaniciss as his autilo- away from it. Several families, as many perhaps
pity). Another account, preserved by Athenaeus as six or seven, resided on each tiA2pos, in dwellfrom Theopompis, represelnts theml as the general inl-s of their own, either in detached farms or in
body of the ancient AchaeLan popuiation of Laconia, villages. l'hey cltivated the land and paid to
reduced to slavery by the Dorians, like the Penestae their Inasters as rent a fixed measure of corn, the
in Thessaly. (Ath. vi. p. 2G5, c.) The statement exact amount of which had been fixed at a very
of Ephorus, again, preserved by Strabo, lhas some- early period, the raising of that amount being forthing in common witl both the other stories; for, bidden under heavy imprecations. (Plut. Inst. Lac.
according to it, tile original inhabitanllts of the sp. 25.) The annual rent paid for each KkA'pos
country, when subdued by the Dorians, were at was eighty-to mcedimnii of barley, and a proporfirst permitted to enjoy asu equality of ci-il and tionate quantity of oil and wine. (Plut. Lce. 8.
political rights with their conqulerors, cand were 24.) The domestic servants of the Spartans were
calleel H-elots; but they were deprived of their all Helots. They attended on their mastters at t~he
equlal status by Agis, the son of Eurysthenes, who public meal; and many of them were no doubt
miade them pay tribute: this decree swas resisted emplovyed by the state in public works.
only by the people of Helos ('EXesor ol iEXOvTes Tb In war thie Helots served as light-armed troops
"EXos), who rebelled and were reduced to shlavery ([AIxot), a certain number of them attending every
under certain conditions. (Strab. viii. p. 365.) heavy-armed Spartan to the field; at the battle of
Nosw, all these theories (for such they are) rest on Plataeae, there were seven Helots to each Sparthe doubtful foundation of the historical trumth of the tan, and onle to every hoplite of the Perioeci.
circumstances attending the Dorian invasion, and (I-Icrod. ix. 10. 28.) These attendants were prothe connection of thle name with Helos is not only bably called auLr'Trapes (i. e. haespls'aveT's, Hesych.
a manifest invention, opposed to the best autho- s. v.), and one of them in particular, the Sepdrwov,
rities (Theopomp. Eph. ll. cc.), but is etymolo- or serv;ant (Herod. vii. 229; Sturz. Lee. Xen. s. v.);
gically fisultyr, for the people of "EAos were not though aep'ictev Wits also used by the Dorians as,