The Hilotic (Spartan) Slavery in Chios?

Abstract

The problem of slavery in Chios, though much neglected by modern criticism, must have had great resonance among Greeks, being the subject of frequent debate. It caught the attention of several historians, among which, for example, Thucydides, and Theopompus of Chios. It is possible that the presence of communities of slaves in Chios had considerable economic and social implications, to the extent that these subordinate workers, employed in the productive activities of the island (e.g. wine and nautical activities) as well as in warfare, could have assumed in the course of time a quite different status from that of Spartan Helots and other communities of slaves, and could have attained economic self-determination.