ergastades

Ergastades were a class of serfs in ancient Sparta. They formed the agricultural workforce of Spartan society, cultivating the land that belonged to the Spartan citizens. Unlike slaves in other Greek city-states, the ergastades were not chattel and could not be bought or sold individually. They were bound to the land they worked, and their labor was essential for the sustenance of the Spartan warrior class.

The origins of the ergastades are debated among historians, but it is widely believed that they descended from the conquered populations of Messenia and Laconia. Their existence was a fundamental pillar of the Spartan economic and social system. The Spartan citizens, freed from the need to perform manual labor, could dedicate themselves to military training and civic duties. This arrangement allowed Sparta to maintain its unique militaristic society.

Life for the ergastades was harsh. They were subject to the constant threat of violence and repression by the Spartan citizens, who feared the possibility of revolt. Periodically, the Spartan authorities would undertake a krypteia, a systematic terror campaign against the ergastades to maintain control. Despite their subjugation, the ergastades retained some communal structures and a degree of autonomy in their daily lives, as long as they fulfilled their obligations to their Spartan overlords. Their labor provided the surplus necessary to support the helot system and the Spartan state.