OTD: 319 BCE, Pyrrhus of Epirus celebrates the first ever Pyrrhic victory...being born!

Just 4 years after the death of my favorite Greek, 323 BCE, my second favorite Greek is born on this day in 319 BCE!
Pyrrhus of Epirus was a man on a mission. That mission, to become the 2nd Alexander the great!



Though he, and no one for that matter, would ever come close, he was assuredly born to raise hell for all that would oppose him.
He is, of course, the reason we have the term, "Pyrrhic Victory". A Pyrrhic victory being a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Someone who wins a Pyrrhic victory has been victorious in some way (Pyrrhus drove the Romans off the field on 2 out of their 3 engagements). However, the heavy toll negates any sense of achievement or profit. Another term for this would be "hollow victory".
Presumably, after winning his second victory over the Romans, following Heraclea, was Ausculum in 279 BCE, one of his generals came over and congratulated him on his "victory" over the Romans. To this Pyrrhus famously said, "One more victory like that over the Romans will destroy us completely!"


He was reported, by Roman authors, to have been ugly. Like really ugly. "Pyrrhus’ features were more likely to inspire fear in the beholder than to impress him with a sense of majesty". But I am sure that plenty of Gauls would have told us how putrid Julius Caesar was to look at. He also had 5 wives and an unknown amount of children (around 10)...and wasn't even Mormon! (I live in Utah so I can make that joke).



He was such a successful general that he is often mentioned in lists of the Diadochi, the feuding ex-generals of ATG trying to take over the former realms of Alexander, even though the two never were alive at the same time.
The man was king and ruler over Sicily for a time. And when he left it created such a vacuum that it took several wars to decide a successor.
He also was a co-ruler of Macedonia along with Lysimachus until Lysimachus ran him out in 286 BCE.
Here are some of those Sicilian coins of Pyrrhus:



Pyrrhus
(278-276 BCE) Sicily, Syracuse, AE 23mm 10.25 gr, head of young Herakles left, wearing lion's skin, rev. Athena Promachos advancing right (SNG ANS 852), attractive smooth green patina, good very fine




SICILY, Syracuse
Pyrrhos. 278-276 BC. Æ Litra 21mm. Head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin; [cornucopia behind] / Athena Promachos right; wreath to left.

Just how good was this guy to his near contemporaries? We can leave that to a quote possibly from Hannibal himself. In a possibly made up account Hannibal and Scipio Africanus met after all their battles for a chat. Near the close of the conversation, as they prepared to depart, Scipio asked Hannibal whom he thought the greatest general in history to be. Hannibal replied that he would name Alexander of Macedon as the greatest, with Pyrrhus of Epirus second. Intrigued, Scipio asked who would come third. Hannibal replied that he would put himself in that position. Now bemused at being left out of the ranking, having defeated Hannibal himself, Scipio asked Hannibal where he would rank if he had won the day at Zama. Hannibal replied decisively that had he defeated Scipio that day, he would then put himself in the first place, above either Alexander or Pyrrhus. Scipio took this as the compliment it was intended to be and they parted ways as friends.


A brief overview via Wikipedi, "Pyrrhus Ι (/ˈpɪrəs/; Ancient Greek: Πύρρος, Pyrrhos; 319/318–272 BC) was a Greek general and statesman of the Hellenistic period.[1][2][3][4] He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians,[3][5] of the royal Aeacid house (from c. 297 BC),[6] and later he became king (Malalas called him also toparch[7]) of Epirus (r. 306–302, 297–272 BC). He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome. Several of his victorious battles caused him unacceptably heavy losses, from which the term Pyrrhic victory was coined. He is the subject of one of Plutarch's Parallel Lives."


(Pyrrhus atop his elephant)

Talk about an ignominious demise! During a clash in the claustrophobic streets of Argos (yep, that Argos) Pyrrhus was struck on the head/spine by a roof tile thrown from above by an old woman and killed!



Pyrrhos of Epiros
as King of Macedon (287-285 and 274-273 BC). AE17 (4.81 g), Macedonian mint.
Obv. Macedonian shield with king´s monogram on boss.
Rev: BAΣI, Macedonian helmet within oak wreath, star below.
SNG Alpha Bank 971.


Pyrrhos of Epiros
287-285 BC and 274-273 BC. Æ Unit (17.5mm, 4.82 g, 6h). Pella mint. Macedonian shield with Monogram of Pyrrhos on boss / Macedonian helmet; BAΣI below; all within oak wreath. AMNG III/2, –; HGC 3, 272; SNG Alpha Bank 970. VF

Happy 2338 birthday Pyrrhus! Please post your Pyrrhic coins, coins of his enemies or anything else that you deem relevant.

 

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Good read. Thanks @Ryro

 

Great post @Ryro! and awesome coins. Pyrrhos is my number 1 general, so I think it is safe to say we are both Pyrrhos fanboys!
I always wonder if I got a tiny bit of blood from Pyrrhos in me, I am myself from Molossoi in Epirus .


Syracuse, Sicily - Pyrrhos AR Oktobol (278–276 B.C.). ‘old collection’ toning.
Obverse: Head of Persephone to left, wearing wreath of grain leaves and pendant earrings; poppy seed/flower behind.
Reverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ – ΠΥΡΡΟΥ; Athena Alkidemos advancing left, brandishing spear with her right hand and holding shield aloft in her left.
Reference: SNG ANS 828-829. SNG Copenhagen 93-94.
5.20g; 20mm


Syracuse, Sicily - Pyrrhos AE (278–276 B.C.)
Obverse: Helmeted head of Athena left; owl behind.
Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠYPPOY. Grain ear within oak wreath.
Reference: SNG ANS 842.
5.35g; 19mm


Ambrakia, Epeiros - Pyrrhos AE (297–272 B.C.)
Obverse: Laureate head of Zeus Dodonaeus left.
Reverse: Thunderbolt; above: B, below: ΠYP monogram; all within oak wreath.
Reference: SNG Cop. 102; BMC 44; HGC 3,1 271.
5.39g; 19mm

 

...those damn roof tiles.......

 

Great write-up, and fun coins, @Ryro Dude!

Pyrrhos


Syracuse Sicily Pyrrhus Epirus 278-276 BCE AE Litra 11.4g 23.3mm Herakles Nemaean Lion scalp - Athena Promachos thunderbolt shield SNG Cop 813, SNG ANS 852


Syracuse Sicily Pyrrhus 278-275 BCE AE 24mm 9.2g HeraklesHd - Athena Promachos SG1213 LE584


Etruria

Etruria 3rd C BCE AE 18mm 4.76g Hd African r Elephant r letter below SNG Cop 48 HNI 69 SNG Paris 138-140 SNG Morcom 44 RARE
(Probably commemorating Pyrrhos' - NOT Hannibals' - elephants fighting the Romans...)



Roman Republic
AR Heavy Denarius / Didrachm
275-270 BCE (Rare)
17.7 x 20.7 oblong strike, 7.3g
OBV: ROMANO, laurel head of Apollo l
REV: Horse galloping r, star above
Crawford 13/1; Sear 23

These were struck as a response to Pyrrhus' invasion of Italy at the behest of Tarentum. He was King of Epirus 306-302 BCE and 297-292 BCE; King of Macedonia 288-285 BCE and 274-272 BCE; and King of Syracuse 278-276 BCE... Known for the term "Pyrrhic Victory" during his battles with Rome. Even though the battles were won by him, the Romans inflicted such losses on his armies that he could not ultimately sustain war with them

 

Thanks @Bing!
Freaking awesome coins and possible ancestry, @Pavlos! The coolest person that I am related to is my Dad.
Excellent portrait @ominus1thalmus! Just history reminding us to always keep our chins up...to look out for old ladies pelting us from above!
@Alegandron bringing out da big guns with that Didrachm. Freaking saweeet!

 

Similar one but with a different reverse legend:
Æ Litra
21 mm, 9.39 g;
Sicily, Syracuse, 278 - 276 BC
SNG ANS 845-6; HGC 2, 1450-1451;
Ob.: Head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin
Rev.: ΣΥΡΑ-ΚΟΣΙΩΝ. Pallas Promachos (Athena) wearing long chiton with diploidion, and chlamys over shoulders, advancing right; she holds spear in raised r., and shield on outstretched l. arm

This Athena Promachos is the Macedonian Athena Alkis, a type which first occurs on coins struck by Ptolemy Soter in Egypt for Alexander the son of Roxana, next on silver coins of Pyrrhus struck during his Italian and Sicilian campaigns and on these bronze Syracusan coins, and again on the coins of Antigonus Gonatas, 277-239 BC and on those of Philip V, 220-179 BC.

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