23. Sparta’s Slaves Rose in a Massive Uprising in 464 BC
Sparta’s mass slavery system was rocked by frequent Helot revolts, that were invariably crushed by the better trained and better equipped Spartans. Afterward, unsparing revenge was visited upon the subdued rebels. After one such revolt, thousands of Helots were gaily decked out, marched out of town, and never heard from again. The biggest revolt came in 464 BC, after a major earthquake struck Sparta and killed thousands. The Helots took advantage of the turmoil and made another bid for freedom. They rose up and established a fortified base in the mountains.
In his Life of Cimon, the historian Plutarch described how a massive Helot revolt erupted in the Eurotas River valley, in the heart of the Spartans’ home region of Laconia. The rebels figured that their masters, reeling from the disaster, had to be at their weakest, so they struck. However, one of Sparta’s kings (they always had two monarchs), Archidamus II, rallied the Spartans to crush the uprising. It was a close-run affair, and Sparta was forced to ask her neighbors for help in accordance with mutual assistance treaties.
