Pyrrhus, King of Epirus
born c.318 BC, died 272 BC
Struck in Syracuse, Sicily, during
the rule of Pyrrhus, 278-276 BC.
Copper, 21 mm
Obverse: Head of Persephone right.
Reverse: Demeter seated.
Struck in Syracuse, Sicily, during
the rule of Pyrrhus, 278-276 BC.
Copper, 23 mm
Obverse: Herakles wearing lion's skin headdress.
Reverse: Athena walking with shield and spear.
An ambitious leader and brilliant general, Pyrrhus tried to revive the empire of his second cousin, Alexander the Great. He left Greece for Italy in 280 BC, when the Greek colony Tarentum sought his aid against Rome. After Tarentum, he proceeded to Sicily, pushing back the Carthaginians, then Roman allies, from Syracuse.
Though a talented military leader, he won battles at such a high cost that the term "Pyrrhic victory" was coined to describe a ruinous victory.