homoioi

The homoioi were the Spartan warrior peers, a unique social class in ancient Sparta. Their lives were dominated by the need to control the helots, a large population of state-owned serfs who performed agricultural labor. The helots were the original inhabitants of Laconia and Messenia, reduced to servility after Spartan conquests.12

This system created a "vicious circle" where the helots' labor provided the Spartans with the leisure for rigorous military training, known as the agoge. The agoge transformed Sparta into a highly militarized society, setting it apart from other Greek states. Spartan foreign policy was often constrained by the fear of helot revolts, and the Spartans employed brutal methods, including a secret police called the Krypteia, to maintain control. The helot system continued in Laconia until the 2nd century BCE.12