Sparta did not have slaves - it had a serf population whichworked their own land and delivered half its produce to supportSparta. Sparta kept tight control of them, with raiding partiesdescending on areas of rebellion. The serfs did rebel severaltimes, including in the 460s BCE, when Athens sent Spartareinforcements but then switched to supporting the serfs, whichcreated the rift between the allies Sparta and Athens, leading inpart to the Peloponnesian War.