Conflicts & Resolutions · War

Pyrrhic War

280–275 BCE · 3rd century BCE

The Pyrrhic War was fought from 280 to 275 BCE between Rome and Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, who came to Italy to help the Greek city of Tarentum. Pyrrhus defeated the Romans at Heraclea and Asculum but with heavy losses, giving rise to the phrase Pyrrhic victory. After a campaign in Sicily he was checked at Beneventum and returned to Greece, leaving Rome master of southern Italy.

Pyrrhic War
Image: Megistias · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Battles and settlements

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APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pyrrhic War. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pyrrhic-war
MLA
“Pyrrhic War.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pyrrhic-war. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Pyrrhic War.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pyrrhic-war.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pyrrhic War’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pyrrhic-war (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻