Who was Pyrrhus, and what made his victory so Pyrrhic?
Dear Straight Dope: Who was King Pyrrhus and what happened during his Pyrrhic victory? — Julio Comello, Toronto, Ontario Pyrrhus, king of Epirus in Greece, started the whole “win at any cost” battle strategy. Born around 310 BC, he is generally recognized as one of the greatest generals of antiquity, “great” being defined in those days as “capable of making sure nobody on the other side was left standing.” Trouble was, after Pyrrhus got done, a lot of people on his side weren’t feeling so hot either. Following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, Alexander’s empire was divided into three smaller empires. Forty years later, those were beginning to crumble. At the same time, fledgling Rome was trying to consolidate power in central and southern Italy. In 282 BC, Thurii (Greek: Thourioi), a Greek city in southern Italy, was being threatened by local hillsmen and invited Rome to send troops to help. The Roman forces were successful, and most of the area became allied with Rome in gr
