The neodamodes (, ''neodamōdeis'') were

helots The helots (; , ''heílotes'') were a subjugated population that constituted a majority of the population of Laconia and Messenia – the territories ruled by Sparta. There has been controversy since antiquity as to their exact characteristic ...

freed after passing a time of service as

hoplites Hoplites ( ) ( ) were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers used the phalanx formation to be effective in war with fewer soldiers. The formation discouraged the soldi ...

in the

Spartan army The Spartan army was the principal ground force of Sparta. It stood at the center of the ancient Greek city-state, consisting of citizens trained in the disciplines and honor of a warrior society.Connolly (2006), p. 38 Subjected to military ...

. The date of their first apparition is uncertain.

Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...

does not explain the origin of this special category. Jean Ducat, in his book ''Les Hoplites'' (1990), concludes that their statute "was largely inspired by the measures dictated concerning the Brasidians", i.e. the helots freed after taking part in the expedition of Brasidas in 424 BC. Their existence is attested from 420 to 369 BC. They were part of Sparta's army and 2,000 of them are recorded taking part, for example, in

Agesilaus II Agesilaus II (; ; 445/4 – 360/59 BC) was king of Sparta from 400 to 360 BC. Generally considered the most important king in the history of Sparta, Agesilaus was the main actor during the period of Spartan hegemony that followed the Peloponn ...

's campaign in

Ionia Ionia ( ) was an ancient region encompassing the central part of the western coast of Anatolia. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionians who ...

between 396 and 394 BC. The name comes from the words νέος ''neos'', meaning "new", and ''dêmos'', meaning "''deme'' or territory". Differently from what is written by Hesychius of Alexandria, who brings together the neodamodes and the

Athenian Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

'' demotes'' (citizens of a

deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or (, plural: ''demoi'', δήμοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Classical Athens, Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside existed in the 6th century BC and earlier, bu ...

), they never acquired full citizenship. The suffix -ωδης ''-ôdês'' signals only a resemblance. In truth, the only ''deme'' they joined was that of the

Perioeci The Perioeci or Perioikoi (, ) were the second-tier citizens of the ''polis'' of Sparta until 200 BC. They lived in several dozen cities within Spartan territories (mostly Laconia and Messenia), which were dependent on Sparta. The ''perioeci'' ...

References

Paul Cartledge Paul Anthony Cartledge (born 24 March 1947)"CARTLEDGE, Prof. Paul Anthony", ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010online edition/ref> is a British ancient historian and academic. From 2008 to 2014 he was the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek ...

, ''Sparta and Lakonia. A Regional History 1300 to 362 BC'',

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 2002 (2nd edition) * Richard Talbert, "The Role of the Helots in the Class Struggle at Sparta", ''Historia'', Bd. 38, H. 1 (1st Qtr., 1989), pp. 22–40 * Jean Ducat, ''Les Hilotes'', École française d'Athènes, Hellenic correspondence bulletin, suppl. XX,

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, 199
see link from CEFAEL
*

Edmond Lévy Edmond Lévy (born 1934) is a French classical historian. Biography Originally a pupil of an École normale supérieure (promotion 1956), an aggregate of letters, he was also a pupil of École française d'Athènes, a school in Athens, Greece ...

, ''Sparte : histoire politique et sociale jusqu’à la conquête romaine,'' Seuil, coll. '' Points Histoire'', Paris, 2003 (). *{{in lang, it T. Alfieri Tonini, ''Il problema dei neodamodeis nell’ambito della società spartana'', ''Rendiconti dell’Instituto Lombardo'', #109 (1975), pp. 305–316; Social classes of Sparta Slavery in ancient Greece Slave soldiers

See also

References