King Tharypas of Epirus, the pioneering ruler who Hellenized the Molossian kingdom, shaped its cultural, political and ...

Behind the phrase is Pyrrhus of Epirus (319-272 BCE), a ruler of the northern Greek region of Epirus in the years following the death of Alexander the Great. While the phrase in many ways sums up ...

It relates to Pyrrhus, a king of Epirus who defeated the Romans in 279 BCE but lost many of his troops. After two such victories against the Romans, King Pyrrhus is reported to have said something ...