Pyrrhus is the man that the term “pyrrhic victory” comes from. A pyrrhic victory is a victory that is so costly that it almost destroys the victor. After the battle of Asculum in 279 BC, in which Pyrrhus squared off against the consul P. Decius Mus and suffered severe losses, he is reported to have uttered, “One more such victory, and we shall be undone.”
This bronze coin is from Sicily during its rule by Pyrrhus, between 278 and 276 BC. On the front is Hercules in a lion skin headress facing left. On the back is Athena Promachos facing right with spear and shield.
