History

The Story Of The Man Behind The Phrase “Pyrrhic Victory”

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Most learned men know of the term “Pyrrhic victory”, an achievement against so brutal a force that the success both advances and ruins oneself. Derived from Pyrrhus of Epirus, the voracious king of the most powerful state in the Greek world. This is his story, of the man who seized every opportunity and lost everything.

The Battle of Heraclea

It was the year 280 BC. The Greek colony of Tarentum in southern Italy was soon to face definite defeat from the hostile and powerful early Roman Empire.

The most famous soldier of his time, Pyrrhus accepted an offer to protect the city. In this endeavor though, as in others, he actually only played the field to dominate for himself.

Outnumbered 40,000 to 30,000, Pyrrhus’s army consisted of Thessalian cavalry, the best of all Greece; twenty catastrophically disruptive war elephants; and Alexander’s devastatingly effective Macedonian phalanx, as well as many archers and slingers.

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As cavalry collided and ranged units rained fire, the renowned infantry lines met. Seven offenses from the phalanxes could not break past the Roman legionaries, the strongest opponents they had ever faced. The battle remained unsettled.

During the vicious battle, Pyrrhus knew if he faltered in combat his soldiers would lose the morale to continue. He wisely switched armor with a bodyguard, who was later swarmed and killed.

As word spread, his men wavered while the Romans roared in success at what they thought was a decisive turning point. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Pyrrhus took off his helm, and in a display of pure courage and leadership, fearlessly rode along his frenzied front lines to reveal himself. Now his army returned the cheer in their own massive uproar. The heated battle flamed onward.

Realizing they were equally matched, Pyrrhus finally deployed his elephants to surprise the flanking Roman cavalry. The frightened horses fled at the sight of the bizarre, jagged gargantuans and caused chaos among the Romans.

Finally he launched the Thessalians to secure victory. Augmented by surrounding tribes after his victory at Heraclea and emboldened by the success, he marched forward to invade the heart of the empire, Rome herself.

Rome against Taranto location.png

The Battle of Asculum

Pyrrhus met opposition at Asculum, both sides double their previous number and nearly equivalent at 70,000 infantry, 8,000 cavalry, and others, with 300 Roman wagons of various ingenious designs created to counter the triumphant war elephants.

This is where he would state his famed comment of Pyrrhic victory. The Battle of Asculum was so vast and disastrous that three accounts exist that claim completely different strategies and even victors: that of Plutarch, Cassius Dio, and Dionysius.

What is undeniable is that through coordinated maneuvers and routing, the armies engaged in colossal pandemonium as Roman swords slashed against the thrusts of Macedonian sarissas.

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Plutarch’s account determined that Pyrrhus had defeated the Roman commander, but his personal Epirot army, amongst mercenaries and allies, was nearly decimated. Though Rome lost 6,000 men, Pyrrhus lost 3,500 as well as many commanding officers.

If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.

A majority of his men, especially his leadership, had been lost. His Italian allies had no more interest to battle the Romans, and against the home field advantage of swift replenishment and supplies, he knew he could not win a war without such reinforcements.

Against Carthage and Sparta

Pyrrhus turned his sights to other conquests, but his fortunes had fallen. Asked to become ruler of Macedonia after his ally King Ptolemy Keraunos had been killed, he chose instead to campaign in Sicily against Carthage, the other most powerful state of the western Mediterranean beside Rome, for greater gain.

Though militarily successful, he acted tyrannically to the Sicilians in an attempt to gather the manpower and resources he required, soon falling out of their favor. He returned to southern Italy to defend against Rome once more in the Battle of Beneventum, but the outcome was inconclusive.

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Exhausted, he took his spent army and funds back to his homeland of Epirus, allowing Rome to dominate the Greek colonies in southern Italia and thus forfeiting all the gains of his Italian campaign except for Tarentum.

After easily seizing the disordered Macedonia against King Antigonus II Gonatas, Pyrrhus hounded him down to secure the throne. Taking Antigonus’s mercenaries, Pyrrhus then directly called out the names of the demoralized Macedonian officers at his next meeting with Antigonus’s army, convincing the entire infantry to desert.

However, instead of finishing off the escaped Antigonus, Pyrrhus restlessly looked to Sparta and Argos, the two most valuable Peloponnesian cities. His offense on Sparta was blocked off in unexpected force, and when he looked again, Antigonus had now sided with allies in Argos.

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The Battle of Argos

Pyrrhus sent his Gallic forces into the city, gaining the marketplace, but his elephants had trouble entering past Argos’s unaccommodating gates. Argive and Macedonian forces flooded the narrow city streets.

Seeing the Gauls surrounded, he advanced into the city and sent a messenger to his son Helenus so that the main body of his army would break down Argos’s walls for his troops to exit. However, a miscommunication occurred and Helenus instead entered with the rest of the elephants and soldiers.

Image result for pyrrhus of epirus battle of argos

In the stark environment, he gave one last fight amidst immense confusion. As soldiers both left and entered the city, the elephants so useful in battles past panicked and blocked the gateway. Chaos erupted.

While in combat against an Argive, the soldier’s old mother, watching from a rooftop, threw a tile that knocked Pyrrhus from his mount. The fall paralyzed him, and confirmation of death was given through a Macedonian decapitation.

Alcyoneus, one of Antigonus’s sons, took Pyrrhus’s head and rode to throw it at his father’s feet. Instead of expressing pride as expected, in a heartfelt rage Antigonus struck Alcyoneus and enragedly called him a barbarian.

He burst into tears as he remembered the fates of his ancestry. His father, his grandfather; both had suffered the same dishonorable misfortune. Cremated in ceremony and full honors, Pyrrhus was respected by his foes and Helenus sent safely back to Epirus.

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Reconstruction of Argos

Aftermath

Upon news of Pyrrhus’s death, Tarentum surrendered to Rome. Italy‘s peninsula was subsequently divided and conquered, the Greek colonies becoming a vital region of the empire. The Pyrrhic War internationally demonstrated that Rome could dance with the dominant Mediterranean military powers. In the only possibility to halt its expansion, the Hellenistic world foolishly remained content with a failed invasion.

As for the fate of Epirus, his daughter was murdered as the last of Epirote royalty. An inept federal republic sprung, split in advocacy during the Third Macedonian War and ending in Roman enslavement. Antigonus’s line continued until Macedonia fell too to Roman rule.

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The Roman Empire had seized supreme dominance.

Pyrrhus of Epirus, renowned for his bravery, insatiability, and vain clashes against the major powers of the time: Rome, Carthage, Sparta, Argos; was laughably ended by the hand of an old woman and a segment of her roofing. He is immortalized as the ferocious, daring leader who lost everything he gained in life and everything he loved in death. A true Pyrrhic victory: the price of a forlorn existence for a valiant eternity in history.

Read more: The Roots Of Masculinity In Ancient Rome

76 thoughts on “The Story Of The Man Behind The Phrase “Pyrrhic Victory””

  1. Decent article, but what does this do with how feminists destroy themselves?

    1. It’s a pretty clear analogy. The feminists are the “bizarre, jagged gargantuans,” the “catastrophically disruptive war elephants.” We have to lure them into an alleyway in some ancient city somewhere and then have somebody’s grandma huck tiles at them until they get paralyzed from it and die.

      1. that is so unfair and wrong of you to say. They aren’t jagged.

      2. can’t we just lure them away with reruns of Oprah and sugar doodles?

        1. Sugar doodles… sugar doodles… Why, I think we have just discovered our new secret weapon!

        3. Google is paying 97$ per hour! Work for few hours & have longer with friends and family! !si284c:
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    3. A throwback referencing Quintus Curtius’s heydays. Check my third or fourth article, depending on Roosh’s ordering, for some major feminist humiliation.

        2. If you been here long enough you see the article cycle goes like this – Kratom, Jews, Feminists, Politics, War, Jews, Fitness, Religion, then finally Kratom again.

        3. A broader spread that most newspapers, whose cycle is:
          We hate Trump
          Racism
          War
          We hate Trump
          Financial crisis
          Racism

    5. Feminism will end as Pyrrhus – but without being respected by their foes?

    6. “Pyrrhus of Epirus, renowned for his bravery, insatiability, and vain victories against the major powers of the time: Rome, Carthage, Sparta, Argos; was laughably ended by the hand of an old woman and a portion of her roofing.”
      There’s a kick ass feminist movie in there somewhere.
      “My mum’s going to kick your ass, and then you’ll be sorry”
      “Yeah right”

      1. Confirmed. Article is another infiltration attempt by the SJW ranks. That’s twice in one week.

  2. Cool….heard the phrase “Pyhrric victory” but never heard the backstory. Thanks..

  3. I’m against war with Russia. I’m against war with Syria, and I’m against war with North Korea.
    Unless Trump brings back WAR ELEPHANTS!!!
    In which case I’m an effing neo-con with a hard on for blood

    1. Yeah, I have to state my unqualified support for invading any Middle Eastern country, any time, under any circumstances, if the following conditions are met:
      1. We use war elephants, lots of them.
      2. We kill everyone there.
      3. We keep it and all the oil under it.
      4. We build a huge ass wall around it.
      5. We use more war elephants to patrol the wall.

      1. I’m against killing anyone.
        Unless of course it involves trampling with war elephants. In which case it’s justified

        1. Oh, I assumed that all killing would be done by the war elephants was understood.

        2. the world be a better place if we put an end to killing. Except by elephant

        3. Personally I prefer horses…
          Check out the scene at the 3:00 time-mark

        4. you just have to imagine that scene recreated with four elephants per chariot

        15. Private, recreational war elephants are protected by the second amendment.

      4. According to the Looney Tunes Foundation, mice can be used to scare off war elephants

        1. I’ve seen the evidence from the LTF that mice can be used to scare off elephants. However, to my knowledge, the LTF has not, as yet, produced any solid evidence suggesting that mice can be used to scare off *war* elephants.
          Now, perhaps if they were to use war mice, it might be effective, but — again — without hard scientific research and verifiable data from the LTF, its still an open question.

      1. massive feminist warrior whales on chariots pulled by a legion of cats….I can’t see them moving though or not collapsing under the weight

      1. It all happens pretty quick, but if you look carefully you can just about see a shirtless Vladimir Putin on that tiger’s back

      1. Its ivan the terrible or better yet Vlad Dracula the blood impaler or some weird ass genghis descendants

        1. Cool story telling. Only Krum never called himself a Khan, nor did the Byzantines call him that.

  6. Interesting topic but somebody needs to edit these a little more. Just a little more polish can turn bad English good.

  7. What happens when you wave an American flag at a May day parade in Havana? Hilarity ensues.

    Daniel Llorente must have balls of brass.

  10. “…powerful early Roman Empire…”
    Rome was a republic at the time.

  11. To think…two of some of the greatest infrantry units (aside from spartan hoplites and the usmc): Macedonian spear hoplites vs roman legionnaires, clashed. What an epic clash.

    1. I always thought how cool it would be to be an observer of such history.

  12. Well, the dude still did more than I have thus far. I better get to work here. Maybe as Barnum and Bailey shuts down I can get a few of those elephants.

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