This Week on History Happy Hour: Travel back in time to ancient Sparta, a tiny Greek village that somehow transformed itself into an awesome military superpower. What was it about the Spartans’ unique society that so fascinated and frightened their contemporaries 2500 years ago, and continues to resonate today?

Chris and Rick welcome Philip Matyszak, author of Sparta: Rise of a Warrior Nation. To a surprising degree, the Spartans live up to their images as nearly invincible warriors. But their laser-like focus on military prowess came with a dark side of terror and abuse.

The real story of ancient Sparta, and a close-up look at the real men and women behind the myth. Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap..

PHILIP ‘MATY’ MATYSZAK holds a doctorate in Ancient History from St John’s College, Oxford University, and has been studying, teaching and writing on the subject for over twenty years. He specializes in the history of Classical Greece and of the Late Republic and Early Imperial periods of Rome. Maty has personal military experience both as a conscript in Rhodesia and with the Territorial Army in Britain. He splits his time between writing in his home in Canada’s Monashee Mountains and providing e-learning courses for Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education.