Pyrrhus of Epirus (Πύρρος ὁ Ἠπειρώτης) was a Hellenistic king of Epirus and a renowned military commander (c. 319/318–272 BCE). A second cousin of Alexander the Great, he secured his throne in 297 BCE and embarked on ambitious campaigns to build a western empire [1][2]. This led to the Pyrrhic War against Rome (280–275 BCE), famed for its costly victories, and a later campaign in the Peloponnese where he was killed in street fighting at Argos in 272 BCE [1][2]. His life was documented by the historian Hieronymus of Cardia and later by Plutarch [1].

His only known work is his now-lost Memoirs or Commentaries (Ὑπομνήματα). Plutarch cites this autobiographical text as a source for diplomatic details in his own biography of the king [3].

Pyrrhus is significant for his major military confrontation with the expanding Roman Republic, which highlighted the tactical limitations of the Hellenistic phalanx against the Roman legion [1][2]. His career exemplifies the volatile nature of Hellenistic kingship, and his name endures in the concept of the "Pyrrhic victory" [1]. The lost memoirs represent a rare autobiographical source by a Hellenistic monarch [3].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pyrrhus 2. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/pyrrhus/ 3. Perseus Digital Library (Plutarch, Pyrrhus 21.12): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0010%3Achapter%3D21%3Asection%3D12