Pyrrhus of Epirus

[gamegeek2]

I also accept the theory that the IndoEuropeans are from the steppes north of the Caucasus and Black/Caspian seas, about where the Sauromatae are in the campaign.

Pyrrhos is, indeed different from Pyros, "fire-y" would definitely make more sense.

Frankly, if you look at the proto-iranian word "Aryana" (their self-ethnonym), if you change the r to an "l" ('l's became 'r's when IE became Indo-Iranian, if I'm not mistaken) and add an "H" before it, as is common before PIE words that start with vowels, you end up with "Halana", which becomes "Hellene", if you add in the Ionic pattern of changing many 'a's to 'e's. For more proof for my theory, look at "Alana", the ethnonym for the Alans (derived from "Aryana") and change it the same way.

The other explanation would indeed by the "Areios" connection. The Indo-Iranians were famed conquerors (look what they did to previously Dravidian India!) Also, if you look at the Hellenization of "Aryana", it's "Areianes," proof for this other theory.