King Pyrrhus and the Pyrrhic Victory,In the 3rd Century BC King Pyrrhus was the ruler of a growing k

King Pyrrhus and the Pyrrhic Victory,In the 3rd Century BC King Pyrrhus was the ruler of a growing kingdom in Greece called Epirus.  Like Alexander the Great, King Pyrrhus longed for glory and conquest.  During his reign he began to conquer and dominate the Greek city states.  It seemed as though the Kingdom of Epirus would become master of the Mediterranean.  However, in Italy a growing power threatened Pyrrhus’ dominance; Rome.Allying with Greek colonies in Southern Italy and Sicily, Pyrrhus invaded with a mighty army in 280 BC.  In battle after battle Pyrrhus defeated the Romans.  However with each victory he suffered terrible casualties, and the gains achieved with each victory were negligible or achieved no practical results.  By 275 BC his army had been so victorious that it was forced to withdraw back to Greece in defeat.  Pyrrhus had won all the battles, but lost the war.Today the expression “pyrrhic victory" is used to describe a meaningless victory  or a victory won at too high a cost. -- source link

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