Pyrrhus, << PIHR uhs >> (318?-272 B.C.), was a king of Epirus in Greece. His name has lived on in the expression “Pyrrhic victory.” It is used to refer to a victory that has cost more than it is worth. The expression arose from a remark that Pyrrhus used after fighting the battle of Asculum in which he lost almost all his men. He exclaimed, “Another such victory and I shall be ruined.”
Pyrrhus was a second cousin of Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia. Pyrrhus was born in Epirus. His father was king of Epirus. However, he lost his throne and was killed when his son was 2 years old. Pyrrhus was placed on the throne at the age of 12, but at 17 he lost it. Later Pyrrhus went to Egypt where he served King Ptolemy.
Pyrrhus raised an army and returned to his native country. He recovered his throne and then tried to conquer Macedonia. In 287 B.C., Pyrrhus became king of Macedonia. However, he lost his throne again the following year.
Tarentum, a Greek colony in lower Italy, and its neighbors appealed to Pyrrhus in 281 B.C. for aid against the Romans. Pyrrhus sent 25,000 men and 20 elephants. His forces conquered the Romans, chiefly because of the use of elephants in the battle.
Pyrrhus later helped the Greeks of Sicily against the Carthaginians. In this war, he was successful at first. But he soon began to lose, and finally he was driven out of Sicily in 276 B.C. Two years later, the Romans defeated him and forced him to return to Epirus. The next year, he invaded Macedonia again and once more was hailed as king. In 272 B.C., he marched south and made an unsuccessful attack on Sparta. He was killed in a battle with Antigonus Gonatus while trying to capture Argos.
