Pyrrhus of Epirus was a Greek king and statesman of the Hellenistic period. He was king of the Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house, and later he became king of Epirus and Macedon. He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome and was regarded as one of the greatest generals of antiquity. His victories were often so costly that they led to the term 'Pyrrhic victory,' an expression for a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat.