Definition: In 281 B.C., King Pyrrhus of Epirus (c. 318 - 272) landed on the southern Italian shore with 20 elephants and 25,000-30,000 men to defend his fellow Greek speakers (in Tarentum of Magna Graecia) against Roman domination. While Pyrrhus won the first two battles, he lost a large number of his men (and ultimately, the war).
The term Pyrrhic Victory comes from these devastating battles.
