Pyrrhus: Warlord of Ancient Greece

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2024

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s 279 BC. On a large plain in Southern Italy near the town of Asculum, a famous Greek warlord likened to Alexander the Great faces down the legions of the Roman Republic. His name was Pyrrhus of Epirus. And the victory that he won at Asculum would come to define his legacy.

In this instalment of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Louis Rawlings to dive into the cauldron of political intrigue and backstabbing that followed the death of Alexander the Great and talk through the story of Pyrrhus, his battles against Romans, Carthaginians, Sicilians, Greeks and how he managed to win the first ever 'Pyrrhic Victory'.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight, audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's 279.
0:01.0	It's 279.
0:02.0	It's a...
0:03.0	It's a...
0:05.0	It's a...
0:07.0	It's 279 BC.
0:10.0	On a large plane in southern Italy. It's 279 BC.
0:13.0	On a large plane in southern Italy near the town of Ascalum,
0:17.0	two armies line up against each other.
0:19.0	On one side you have the legions of the Roman Republic,
0:22.0	a power that had been gradually
0:24.2	expanding its control into southern Italy over the past few decades. Opposing them
0:29.4	was the most formidable general the Romans had ever faced. A famous Greek warlord
0:36.1	renowned for his charisma and his exceptional military skill, so much so that he
0:41.7	was likened to Alexander the Great.
0:44.0	This general had with him a powerful army.
0:47.0	Heavy pike-wielding infantry and shock cavalry feared throughout the Mediterranean,
0:52.0	not to mention elephants, brought all the way from India.
0:56.7	The General's name was Paris.
0:59.0	He had come to southern Italy to stop the Romans in their tracks and to carve out his own empire.
1:05.0	Yet it would be the outcome of this battle that would define his legacy.
1:10.0	It's the ancients on history hit. I'm Tristan Hughes your host, and today we are talking through the story of one of my favorite figures
	...

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