Epirus is a name applied to an area bordering the Ionian Sea that is shared by present-day Greece and Albania. In the northern part, which remained in Albania after diplomatic talks by the Great Powers in 1913/1914, there are Greek minorities, while in the southern Greek district there are Albanian minorities.
In ancient times, Epirus ("mainland" as opposed to the offshore islands) was the mountainous coastal district bordered by Illyria, Macedonia and Thessaly. To the south was Aetolia. Epirus was separated from Illyria to the north by the Ceraunian Mountains, and by the Pindus River. The Acheron River, which was believed by ancient Greeks to be one of the five rivers of Hades, flowed through this region, and here stood also the oak grove of Dodona, sacred to Zeus and famous for its oracles.
Epirus was the launching area of the Dorian invasions (1100-1000 BC) of Greece, which along with civil wars and environmental upheaval helped lead to the Greek Dark Ages. Greek culture, however, would retake dominance by the 9th Century BC.
In the 5th century BC, Epirus was still on the periphery of the Greek world. To the 5th century BC historian, Thucydides, the Epirotes were "barbarians." The only Epirotes regarded as Greek were the Aeacidae, who were members of the Molossian royal house and claimed descent from Achilles.
From about 370 BC onwards, the Aeacidae were able to expand the Molossian state by incorporating tribes from the rival groups in Epirus. The Aeacidae's efforts gained impetus from the marriage of Philip II of Macedon to their princess, Olympias.
Late in 334 BC, while Alexander the Great, son of Philip and Olympias, crossed into Asia, his uncle, Alexander I of Molossia, answered a call for help from Tarentum, whereupon he crossed to southern Italy with a small force to fight the Lucanians. The campaign was initially successful and a treaty with Rome is reported, but Alexander I met his end in 331 BC when defeated by the Lucanians. The king himself was reportedly killed by his own bodyguard, which just so happened to be formed by refugee Lucanians.
After Alexander I of Molossia's death, the Epirote tribes formed a coalition on an equal basis, but with the Molossian king in command of their military forces.
In 281 BC, the Italian city of Tarentum asked for the Molossian king Pyrrhus' assistance against Rome. He crossed to Italia with about 25,000 men including elephants, which would be a later source of inspiration for Hannibal in the Punic Wars.
In 280 BC, he won a complete, if costly, victory over a Roman army at Heraclea. In 279 BC, Pyrrhus, again suffering heavy casualties, defeated the Romans at Ausculum in Apulia. These victories would later become synonymous with the term 'Pyrrhic victory,' which describes a victory achieved at such a great cost that it is tantamount to a defeat.
In 278 BC, Pyrrhus crossed to Sicilia and conquered most of the Punic province except Lilybaeum (Marsala). However, his despotic methods offered a very short term rule that provoked a revolt of the Greek Sicilians. In 276 (or early 275) BC, he was forced to return to Italia. Also in 275 BC, he suffered heavy losses in another "victory" against Rome at Beneventum.
The next year, upon returning to Epirus, he invaded Macedonia, drove out Antigonus II Gonatas to Thessalonica, and took over the defecting Macedonian army. He abandoned the new victories in Macedonia, however, and launched an unsuccessful attack on King Areus of Sparta to restore Cleonymus (272 BC) to the throne there. Violations of royal tombs by a garrison of Gauls at Aegae offended the Greeks, and Pyrrhus went south to invade the Peloponnese, leaving his son Ptolemy in command.
While occupied in the south, Antigonus Gonatas regained control of Macedonia and transported an army by sea to Corinth against Pyrrhus. At about the same time, Pyrrhus' son Ptolemy was killed in an ambush by the forces of King Areus of Sparta. At Argos, Pyrrhus was trapped between the armies of the Macedonians and the Spartans and killed.
Pyrrhus' military adventures overstrained his state's military resources, but they also brought great prosperity to Epirus during his reign. After his fall, however, Epirus was left in a near state of ruin. His memoirs and books on the art of war were quoted and praised by many ancient authors, including Cicero.
In 232 BC, the various tribes created the Epirote League and transformed the Kingdom into a Republic. However, over the next half century it was caught between the two warring superpowers of Rome and Macedonia.
During the 3rd Macedonia War (171-168 BC), the Molossian Epirotes supported Macedonia, and the League would fall apart. Rome, under the command of Aemilius Paullus, sacked the country in 167 BC and took 150,000 inhabitants as slaves. Epirus became a Roman province soon after, and the coastal regions would prosper under its rule.
In 31 BC, one of the most important battles in the history of the world took place off the shores of Epirus to preserve the region's place in history. While not a major battle in terms of numbers of men or ships, the naval Battle of Actium would decisively give Octavian Caesar control of the seas against his rivals, Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra of Egypt. Over the next few months the victories for Octavian continued and he would soon be crowned as Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome.
Epirus remained under Roman control for several centuries, during which time the region experienced significant cultural and economic changes. Roman infrastructure, such as roads and public buildings, were constructed, and the region became an important trading hub between Rome and the eastern Mediterranean.
Following the division of the Roman Empire into the Western and Eastern Empires in the 4th century AD, Epirus became a part of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Era saw the continuation of Roman influence in the region, along with the growth of Christianity and the construction of numerous churches and monasteries.
Epirus remained a significant province within the Byzantine Empire, serving as a vital link between the empire's western and eastern territories. The region also played a crucial role in the defense of the empire against various invaders, such as the Goths, Avars, and Slavs.
However, in the 11th century AD, the Byzantine Empire faced numerous challenges, including the Norman conquest of southern Italy and internal political instability. These factors, combined with the increasing power of local aristocratic families, led to the gradual decline of Byzantine control over Epirus.
By the end of the 11th century AD, Epirus had become a largely independent region, marking the end of its long history as a part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires.
