Women in ancient Sparta their wealth. He attributed the state's precipitous fall during his lifetime, from being the master of Greece to a second-rate power in less than 50 years, to the fact that Sparta had become a gynocracy whose women were intemperate and loved luxury. All Spartan women, not just the richest, would have taken advantage of helot labour to perform the domestic tasks that elsewhere in Greece would have fallen to free women. Activities such as weaving which were considered women's work elsewhere in Greece were not considered fit for free women in Sparta. Therefore, women were more preoccupied with governance, agriculture,
Land reform in Sparta Land reform in Sparta Two land reforms were attempted at ancient Sparta in the 3rd century BC. In the 7th century BC, Sparta conquered much land in wars with neighbouring states. This land, and many of the 500,000 inhabitants thereof, were divided among the 25,000 Spartiates. By the 3rd century BC, However, Sparta had been greatly weakened by wars of over 300 years. Fewer than 700 families of the genuine Spartan stock (i.e. full citizenship) remained. In consequence of the innovation introduced by Epitadeus, who procured a repeal of the law which secured to every Spartan head of a family