When Sparta was defeated, the Thebans freed the helots and suddenly, the Spartans had less time to focus on military pursuits without their labour force.
Spartan King Leonidas marshaled a force of 300 of his personal bodyguards and helots and took command of the briefly unified Greek forces numbering at 7,000.
Helots handled most of the domestic affairs, so the women of Sparta were known to partake in athletic competitions like javelin-throwing and wrestling, as well as competitive singing and dancing.
The literal translation means " those who dwell around, " and it is thought that they acted as trade liaisons and craftspeople for the Spartans. The worst class in ancient Sparta was the Helots.