ABSTRACT
While Pyrrhus was in Sicily, the war in Italy continued as the Romans launched campaigns into southern Italy. By 276, the Romans had regained a number of important Greek allies thanks to combined military and diplomatic efforts. When Pyrrhus returned in that year, his control of the area was severely weakened and so he decided upon an aggressive move northwards to engage each of the consuls for 275 individually. However, he was defeated and forced to withdraw south. As in Sicily, Pyrrhus’ rule was undermined by growing local hostility in part due to the economic pressures of the war effort. For later Roman writers Pyrrhus’ failure is portrayed as the result of his own increasingly despotic tendencies, which had been developing since his time in Sicily. Meanwhile, Roman involvement in affairs such as those in Rhegium was minimized. Late in 275 the king withdrew from Italy, opening the door for the Roman conquest of the south.
