Spartiatai

Spartiatai (Greek: Σπαρτιάται) is the term used by ancient and modern writers for the full Spartan citizenry, the ruling male class of the city-state of Sparta in Laconia. In the social hierarchy of Sparta, the Spartiatai were the homoioi, the equals, distinct from the perioikoi (free non-citizens) and the helots (serfs). They formed the political and military core of the state and possessed exclusive rights to participate in the apella and to hold senior offices, including membership in the Gerousia and the ephorate.

Origin and life: Spartan citizenship was conferred through the Lycurgan reforms and the rigorous agoge, the state-run education and military training that all male Spartiatai underwent from youth. Upon completing the agoge and meeting other requirements, a man could be regarded as a Spartiates and fulfill obligations such as contributing to the syssitia, the common messes, and providing land-based revenue (kleroi) for the state's use. Spartiatai owned land called kleroi, allocated to households by the state to sustain their economy and the syssitia; they were expected to marry and have legitimate heirs.

Institutions: The two kings led the state, and real political power rested with the Gerousia (28 elders plus the two kings) and the annual ephorate. The apella, composed of Spartiatai, voted on laws and elected officials, such as ephors, and could approve proposals from the Gerousia.

Decline and usage: From the late Classical period onward, the number of Spartiatai fell as the helot population remained large and social structures shifted. By the Hellenistic and Roman eras, Spartan citizenship had contracted or transformed, though the term Spartiatai remains a standard descriptor in classical scholarship for the citizen body of ancient Sparta.