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Sparta was a society that was based according to many historians on a caste system. The Spartan citizens were the highest caste, and they dominated the other groups in society. The other groups in Sparta included the helots and the Pereoki; this was a group of freemen who were not citizens and were usually craftsmen and traders.<ref>Plutarch, p. 113</ref> Spartan citizens, a male or a female, had to be able to trace their ancestry back to the original Doric conquerors. They also could not be of helot extraction.<ref>Cartledge, 2001, p. 56</ref> To be a Spartan citizen, one had to undertake the rigorous education of the Agoge. Only those who had completed their education in the Agoge was entitled to be a citizen.
Now there were some exceptions to this and these include a helot or a foreigner who was adopted by a ‘Spartiate’ family.<ref>Plutarch, p.69</ref> To be a citizen the Spartan had to pay his way in the agoge, that is he had to contribute to the running of the system and to supply his armor. Failure to pay their way meant that a Spartan could be expelled from the Spartan student body. The criteria for a Spartan citizen was very high. While the system ensured that the Spartans were dedicated and well-trained warriors it also led to problems replacing those who died in battle.<ref>Cartledge, 2002, p. 118</ref>.
The population of Sparta was never very high. Even at its peak in the 6th century BCE, the number of Spartan citizens was approximately 9000. This is known from the size of the Spartan army at the time. By the time of the battle of Leuctra, the size of the Spartan citizen population, once again based on the size of their army was only 4,000. The Spartan citizen body had been dwindling over time.
