Pyrrhus of Epirus.

Pyrrhus (318-272 BC) (Greek: Πύρρος) was one of the most successful ancient Greek generals of the Hellenistic era. Events By place Macedonian Empire Antigonus resolves to become lord of all Asia and in conjunction with Cassander and Ptolemy Events By place Seleucid Empire The Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter is defeated by Egypt's Ptolemy II during Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians^[1](from ca. The Molossians (Μολοσσοί English: Molossoi were an ancient Greek tribe that settled Epirus during Mycenaean times 297 BC), Epirus (306-301, 297-272 BC) and Macedon (288-284, 273-272 BC), and one of the strongest opponents of early Rome. Events By place Roman Republic Fabius Maximus Rullianus becomes Consul for the fourth time Epirus (from Ionic Greek Ήπειρος - Ēpeiros, Doric Greek: Ἅπειρος - Apeiros, in Albanian Events By place Cyprus Menelaus brother of Egypt's ruler Ptolemy I Soter, is defeated and captured by Demetrius Poliorcetes Events By Place Asia Minor In The Battle of Ipsus in Phrygia, the armies of Antigonus, the ruler of Syria Events By place Seleucid Empire The Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter is defeated by Egypt's Ptolemy II during Macedon or Macedonia ( Greek grc Μακεδονία grc-Latn Makedonía) was the name of a kingdom centered in the northern-most Events By place Greece The Macedonian King Demetrius Poliorcetes, faces a combined attack from Lysimachus and Events By place Roman Republic The Gallic tribe called the Senones, who has settled on the Adriatic coast north of Events By place Egypt Impressed by Rome's defeat of Pyrrhus, Ptolemy II sends a friendly embassy The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the Some of his battles, though successful, cost him staggering losses, from which the term Pyrrhic victory was coined. A Pyrrhic victory (ˈpɪrɪk is a victory with devastating cost to the victor

Early life

Pyrrhus was the son of Aeacides of Epirus and Phthia, and a second cousin of Alexander the Great. Aeacides may also refer to Peleus, son of Aeacus, or Achilles, grandson of Aeacus Phthia (in Greek Φθία; lived 4th century BC) was a daughter of Menon of Pharsalus, the Thessalian Hipparch, and wife Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Prince of one of the Alexandrian successor states, Pyrrhus' childhood and youth went by in unquiet conditions. He was only two years old when his father was dethroned and the family took refuge with Glaukias, king of the Taulanti, one of the largest Illyrian tribes. King Glaukias ( Ancient Greek: Γλαυκίας, "glaring" from γλαυκός glaukos "glaring" was an Illyrian Illyrian tribes or possibly or partly Illyrian tribes or tribes inhabiting lands known as Illyria. Illyrians has come to refer to a broad ill-defined " Indo-European " group of peoples who inhabited the western Balkans ( Illyria, roughly

Tribes of Epirus in antiquity.

Later, the Epirotes called him back but he was dethroned again at the age of 17 when he left his kingdom to attend the wedding of Glaukias' son in Illyria. Illyria ( Albanian Iliria ( Ancient Greek; Latin Illyria; see also Illyricum) was in Classical antiquity a region in the In the wars of the diadochi Pyrrhus fought beside his brother-in-law Demetrius I of Macedon on the losing side in the pivotal Battle of Ipsus (301 BC). The Diadochi (plural of Latin Diadochus, from Greek Διάδοχοι, Diadokhoi, "successors" were the rival successors Demetrius I (337-283 BC Greek: Δημήτριος) called Poliorcetes (Greek Πολιορκητής) ("The Besieger" son of The Battle of Ipsus was fought between some of the Diadochi (the successors of Alexander the Great) in 301 BC near the village of that name in Events By Place Asia Minor In The Battle of Ipsus in Phrygia, the armies of Antigonus, the ruler of Syria Later, he was made a hostage of Ptolemy I Soter by a treaty between Ptolemy I and Demetrius. For the astronomer see Ptolemy; for others named "Ptolemy" or "Ptolemaeus" see Ptolemy (disambiguation. Pyrrhus married Ptolemy I's stepdaughter Antigone and in 297 BC, with Ptolemy I's aid, restored his kingdom of Epirus. Next he went to war against his former ally Demetrius. By 286 BC he had deposed his former brother-in-law and taken control over the kingdom of Macedon. Events By place Greece As Demetrius Poliorcetes and his army are chased across Asia Minor to the Taurus Mountains Pyrrhus was driven out of Macedon by Lysimachus, his former ally, in 284 BC. Lysimachus ( Greek: Λυσίμαχος Lysimachos; 360 BCE - 281 BCE was a Macedonian officer and diadochus (i Events By place Roman Republic The Gallic tribe called the Senones, who has settled on the Adriatic coast north of

Struggle with Rome

Most important places in the Pyrrhic War (280-275 BC). The Pyrrhic War ( 280 &ndash 275 BC) was a complex series of battles and shifting political alliances among the Greeks (specifically Epirus, Events By place Seleucid Empire Antiochus makes his eldest son Seleucus king in the east but he proves to be incompetent Events By place Egypt The Museum of Alexandria is founded by the Egyptian King Ptolemy II.

In 281 BC, the Greek city of Tarentum, in southern Italy, fell out with Rome and was faced with a Roman attack and certain defeat. Events By place Asia Minor The Battle of Corupedium in Lydia is the last battle of the Diadochi, the rival successors Not to be confused with Toronto. Taranto ( Ancient Greek: Tarās; Modern Greek: Tarantas) is a coastal city in Geography Southern Italy forms the lower "boot" of the Italian peninsula containing the ankle (Abruzzo and Molise and southern Lazio the toe (Calabria and the heel Rome had already made itself into a major power, and was poised to subdue all the Greek cities in Magna Graecia. The Tarentines asked Pyrrhus to lead their war against the Romans.

Pyrrhus was encouraged to aid the Tarentines by the oracle of Delphi. Delphi ( Greek,) ( pronounce and dialectal forms) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western His goals were not, however, selfless. He recognized the possibility of carving out an empire for himself in Italy. He made an alliance with Ptolemy Ceraunus, King of Macedon and his most powerful neighbor, and arrived in Italy in 280 BC. Ptolemy Keraunos ( Greek Πτολεμαίος Κεραυνός - 279 BC was the King of Macedon from 281 BC to 279 BC Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

He entered Italy with an army consisting of 3,000 cavalry, 2,000 archers, 500 slingers, 20,000 infantry and 20 war elephants in a bid to subdue the Romans. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Archery is the practice of using a bow or Crossbow to shoot Arrows Archery has historically been used in Hunting and Combat and has A sling is a projectile Weapon typically used to throw a blunt Projectile such as a stone The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists A war elephant is an Elephant trained and guided by humans for combat

Due to his superior cavalry and his elephants he defeated the Romans, led by Consul Publius Valerius Laevinus, in the Battle of Heraclea in 280 BC. Consul (abbrev cos; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire Publius Valerius Laevinus was commander of the Roman forces in Battle of Heraclea, in which he was defeated by Pyrrhus of Epirus. The Battle of Heraclea took place in 280 BC between the Romans under the command of Consul Publius Valerius Laevinus and the combined forces of Events By place Seleucid Empire Antiochus makes his eldest son Seleucus king in the east but he proves to be incompetent There are conflicting sources about casualties. Hieronymus of Cardia reports the Romans lost about 7,000 while Pyrrhus lost 3,000 soldiers, including many of his best. Hieronymus of Cardia (Thrace, Greek general and Historian, contemporary of Alexander the Great (354-250 BC After the death of the king Dionysius gives a bloodier view of 15,000 Roman dead and 13,000 Greek. Several tribes including the Lucani, Bruttii, Messapians, and the Greek cities of Croton and Locri joined Pyrrhus. The Lucani ( Lucanians) were an ancient people of Italy who spoke an Oscan language, a member of the Italic languages. The Bruttii ( Greek:, Italian: Bruzi were an ancient Italic people who inhabited the southern extremity of Italy, from the frontiers of Croton may also refer to a plant genus See Croton (genus. Or to the NY village Croton-on-Hudson. Locri is a town and Comune (municipality in the Province of Reggio Calabria, He then offered the Romans a peace treaty which was eventually rejected. Pyrrhus spent winter in Campania. Campania is a region of Southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5

When Pyrrhus invaded Apulia (279 BC), the two armies met in the Battle of Asculum where Pyrrhus won a very costly victory. Apulia ( Italian: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east the Ionian Sea Events By place Greece An army of Gauls under Brennus invade Greece. This article refers to the Pyrrhic War battle fought in 279 BC. The consul Publius Decius Mus was the Roman commander, and his able force, though defeated, broke the back of Pyrrhus' Hellenistic army, and guaranteed the security of the city itself. Publius Decius Mus was a Roman politician and general As Consul in 279 BC, he and his fellow consul Publius Sulpicius Saverrio, combined their The battle foreshadowed later Roman victories over more numerous and well armed successor state military forces and inspired the term "Pyrrhic victory", meaning a victory which comes at a crippling cost. A Pyrrhic victory (ˈpɪrɪk is a victory with devastating cost to the victor At the end, the Romans had lost 6,000 men and Pyrrhus 3,500 but, while battered, his army was still a force to be reckoned with.

Ruler of Sicily

Pyrrhus.

In 278 BC, Pyrrhus received two offers simultaneously. Events By place Seleucid Empire After their defeats in Greece, the Gauls move into Asia Minor. The Greek cities in Sicily asked him to come and drive out Carthage, which along with Rome was one of the two great powers of the Western Mediterranean. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers At the same time, the Macedonians, whose King Ceraunus had been killed by invading Gauls, asked Pyrrhus to ascend the throne of Macedon. The Ancient Macedonians (Μακεδόνες Makedónes were an ancient tribe which inhabited the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axius, north Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Pyrrhus decided that Sicily offered him a greater opportunity, and transferred his army there.

Pyrrhus was proclaimed king of Sicily. He was already making plans for his son Helenus to inherit the kingdom of Sicily and his other son Alexander to be given Italy. In 277 Pyrrhus captured Eryx, the strongest Carthaginian fortress in Sicily. Events By place Greece Antigonus crosses the Hellespont and defeats the Celts under the command of Cerethrius near Lysimachia Eryx ( Greek:) was an ancient city and a mountain in the west of Sicily, about 10 km from Drepana (modern Trapani) and 3 km from the sea-coast This prompted the rest of the Carthaginian-controlled cities to defect to Pyrrhus.

In 276 BC, Pyrrhus negotiated with the Carthaginians. Events By place Egypt The Egyptian King Ptolemy II's first wife Arsinoe I (daughter of the late King Lysimachus Although they were inclined to come to terms with Pyrrhus, supply him money and send him ships once friendly relations were established, he demanded that Carthage abandon all of Sicily and make the Libyan Sea a boundary between themselves and the Greeks. Meanwhile he had begun to display despotic behavior towards the Sicilian Greeks and soon Sicilian opinion became inflamed against him. Though he defeated the Carthaginians in another battle, he was forced to abandon Sicily and return to Italy.

Retreat from Italy

While Pyrrhus had been campaigning against the Carthaginians, the Romans rebuilt their army by calling up thousands of fresh recruits. Recruit or army recruit is a term often colloquially used to refer to the lowest Military rank in various armed services When Pyrrhus returned from Sicily, he found himself vastly outnumbered against a superior Roman army. After the inconclusive Battle of Beneventum in 275 BC Pyrrhus decided to end his campaign in Italy and return to Epirus which resulted in the loss of all his Italian holdings. The Battle of Beneventum (275 BC was the last battle fought between the forces of Pyrrhus of Epirus (without Samnite allies and the Romans, led by consul Events By place Egypt The Museum of Alexandria is founded by the Egyptian King Ptolemy II.

Last wars and death

A coin from Epirus. On left is the head of Pyrrhus' mother, Phthia. Phthia (in Greek Φθία; lived 4th century BC) was a daughter of Menon of Pharsalus, the Thessalian Hipparch, and wife On the right is Athena, shield and spear in hands with a battle stance. ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. The Greek inscription reads ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΥΡΡΟΥ ([coin] of King Pyrrhus).

Though his western campaign had taken a heavy toll on his army as well as his treasury Pyrrhus yet again went to war. Attacking King Antigonus II Gonatas he won an easy victory and seized the Macedonian throne. Antigonus II Gonatas (lit "knock-knees" ( Greek Αντίγονος B΄ Γονατᾶς ca

In 272 BC, Cleonymus, a Spartan of royal blood who was hated among fellow Spartans, asked Pyrrhus to attack Sparta and place him in power. Cleonymus, was a politcial ally of Cleon and an Athenian general The city of Sparta ( Doric Σπάρτα Attic Σπάρτη Pyrrhus agreed to the plan intending to win control of the Peloponnese for himself but unexpectedly strong resistance thwarted his assault on Sparta. The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus ( Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large Peninsula He was immediately offered an opportunity to intervene in a civic dispute in Argos. Argos ( Greek: Ἄργος, Árgos ˈaɾɣos is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplio, which was its historic harbor Entering the city with his army by stealth, he found himself caught in a confused battle in the narrow city streets. During the confusion an old Argead woman watching from a rooftop threw a roofing tile which stunned him, allowing an Argive soldier to kill him (some reports claim he was poisoned by a servant).

Legacy

A monument of Pyrrhus in the town of Arta, Epirus. Arta (Άρτα is a city with a rich history in north-western Greece, capital of the Arta Prefecture which is part of the Epirus province

While he was a mercurial and often restless leader, and not always a wise king, he was considered one of the greatest military commanders of his time. Plutarch records that Hannibal ranked Pyrrhus as either the greatest or the second greatest commander the world had seen (after Alexander the Great if the second version of the tradition is followed). Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c Hannibal (Pronounced in Phoenician: Hanniba'al means " Ba'al is my grace " or " Ba'al has given me grace " 247 BC &ndash Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Pyrrhus was also known to be very benevolent. As a general Pyrrhus' greatest political weaknesses were the failure to maintain focus and the failure to maintain a strong treasury at home (many of his soldiers were costly mercenaries).

His name is famous for the phrase "Pyrrhic victory" which refers to an exchange at the Battle of Asculum. A Pyrrhic victory (ˈpɪrɪk is a victory with devastating cost to the victor This article refers to the Pyrrhic War battle fought in 279 BC. In response to congratulations for winning a costly victory over the Romans, he is reported to have said: "One more such victory will undo me!" (In Greek: Ἂν ἔτι μίαν μάχην νικήσωμεν, ἀπολώλαμεν. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c )

Pyrrhus wrote Memoirs and several books on the art of war. for other uses see Memoir (disambiguation As a literary Genre, a memoir (from the French: mémoire These have since been lost although Hannibal was influenced by them and they received praise from Cicero. ^[2]

References

Primary sources

• [1][2] The Life of Pyrrhus by Plutarch

Secondary material

• Pyrrhus of Epirus
• Pyrrhus, King of Epirus by Petros E. Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c Garoufalias ISBN 0-905743-13-X
• The Pyrrhus Portrait by Rolf Winkes, in:

The Age of Pyrrhus, Proceedings of an International Conference held at Brown University April 8-10, 1988 (Archaeologia Transatlantica XI), Providence 1992, pages 175-188.