It Ended With a Horse...

The Trojan War was approaching the endurance of a decade when the Greeks’ luck started to run out. Men were worn out and tired of fighting against a fortified city. Troy had been under siege for ten years, yet the walls of the city remained impenetrable. Battle weary and almost defeated, the Greek force was ready to call it quits. The Greek leaders were unwilling to turn back without the treasure of the city in the hulls of their ships, so Odysseus devised a plan full of cunning that was sure to get the Greek army inside the walls of Troy.

The famed Trojan Horse was the brainchild of Odysseus. The first stage of the plan called for the Greeks to stage a retreat by water. Then a Greek “traitor” would be left behind to tell the “victorious” Trojans that the horse was a gift for the gods and was not to be taken into the walled city, else the gods’ favor fall upon the Trojans. Of course, the Trojans brought the huge horse into the city, breaking down parts of the wall to fit the enormous structure through the city gates. During the night while the Trojans were celebrating their “victory,” Odysseus and the others who had concealed themselves inside of the horse dropped down from the horse and let the rest of the army in through the gates. Trojan Horse
  (Trojan Horse)

Once all of the Greeks were inside of the city, mass destruction and chaos broke loose. The Greeks burned the city, including the temples, mercilessly killed all of the Trojan men, and enslaved the women. The Trojan Horse was ultimately the demise of the Trojans, and still stands today as evidence that brains, not brawn, will often win the battle.

 

- Back - Forward -