Pyrrhus of Epirus

PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS (319 - 272 BC) was a Greek king of the early Hellenistic period, famous for being one of the great enemies of the Roman Republic, but also known for his invasion of Carthaginian Sicily. It was during Pyrrhus’ invasion that the Romans fought against war elephants for the first time, in this case, Indian elephants. Pyrrhus was a member of the Molossian tribe of Epirus, and a second cousin to Alexander the Great (Pyrrhus’ father Aeacides was a cousin of Alexander’s mother Olympias). Pyrrhus spent his childhood exiled at the court of the Illyrian king Glaukias, an old enemy of Alexander. Before his invasion of Italy, Pyrrhus was involved in the wars of the successors of Alexander, and at the age of 18 he fought at the decisive battle of Ipsus (301 BC). In 298 BC, Pyrrhus was taken hostage to Alexandria of Egypt by Ptolemy Soter.

In 280 BC the Greeks of southern Italy asked Pyrrhus for military assistance against the expansionist Roman Republic. While in Italy, also the Greeks of Sicily asked him for assistance against Carthage. Several of his victorious battles during his military campaign caused him such heavy losses that the term “Pyrrhic victory” was coined in reference to him. When he saw the well-organize Roman military camp for the first time, Pyrrhus said “these don’t look like barbarians to me”, and after his second victory against the Romans, he said “one more such victory, and we are undone”. During his absence, a coalition of Celtic tribes invaded Greece in 279 BC and defeated the Macedonian king Ptolemy Keraunos, son of Alexander’s successor in Egypt Ptolemy Soter, taking his head as a trophy. The Romans finally defeated Pyrrhus at the battle of Beneventum (275 BC), forcing him to return to Greece. On his departure Pyrrhus also said: “What a wrestling ground we are leaving for Rome and Carthage”. Only 8 years after his death, the First Punic War would begin.

Back in Greece, Pyrrhus seized the throne of Macedonia. During a siege in Argos, Pyrrhus attempted to kill a young soldier, and the soldier’s mother, watching from a window, threw a roof tile to Pyrrhus’ neck, giving him one of the most stupid deaths in ancient history.