HELOS, in Ancient Geography, a maritime town of Laconia, situated between Trinasus and Acriæ. In Pausanias's time it was in ruins. This district was called Helotea, and the people Helotes, Helota, Helei, and Helcata, by Stephanus, and Helota by Livy. Being subdued by the Lacedæmonians, they were all reduced to a state of public slavery, or made the slaves of the public, on the condition that they could neither recover their liberty nor be sold out of the territory of Sparta. Hence the term ἡλικυτιν, in Harpocraton, for being in a state of slavery; and hence also the Lacedæmonians called the slaves of all nations whatsoever helotes. The epithet is Heloticus.