Circa 700 BC, the city state of Sparta in the Laconia Valley, Greece, found itself short of land. The solution was to invade the next Bronze-Age state (a place named Messenia) and enslave the locals. By getting slaves to do the tilling, serve at table and perform other menial tasks, the Spartans freed themselves for higher functions.
The economy was founded on Messenian slave labour. The slaves, called helots, far outnumbered citizens. By 640 BC, there were 10 helots per citizen. Sparta lived with the fear of an uprising, fomented and aided by neighbours. Neighbouring states didn
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
