Greek Mythology/Stories/Trojan War

A vase depicting the Trojan Horse.

The Iliad, a Greek epic poem was written by the blind poet, Homer. It describes the Trojan War which took place in the twelfth or thirteenth century B.C.E. between the Greeks and Trojans. It presents a host of characters both human and divine.

The Trojan War began when the young prince of Troy, Paris, stole Helen of Sparta from her husband Menelaus, the King of Sparta. Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon gathered soldiers from all over Greece to besiege Troy and take Helen back. The war lasted for ten years and was finally brought to an end by the famous Trojan Horse. The Trojan Horse was a giant, hollow, wooden horse built by the Greeks. A small party of Greek soldiers hid inside the horse, and it was left at the gates of Troy, while the rest of the army sailed away, supposedly in defeat. The Trojans believed it to be an offering to the gods, and carried it into the city, unaware of the soldiers concealed inside. The Trojans held a festival celebrating the end of the war, getting drunk and tired, leaving them defenseless late in the night. After the festival was over, the Greeks climbed out and opened the gates of the city for their army, which ambushed the vulnerable city and burned it to the ground.