The Molossians were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Epirus. Their land had a certain wild majesty but to urban dwellers must have appeared frigid, hard, and barren. The first king to become known to the city-states of the south was Tharyps, who was educated in Athens. It was during his reign that the Molossians gained control of Dodona from the Thesprotians to the west. Gradually, they established a federal union (koinon) with a king as titular head. They turned their attention towards the Greek states to the south; gradually their state came to encompass most of Epirus and under the leadership of Pyrrhus they expanded rapidly towards all directions.