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Historians argue the
question of the actual occurrence of the Trojan War. Was it one
war or a series of raids? Is the site that we now call Troy the
actual site of the city describe by Homer. The story of the siege
of Troy recorded in the Iliad has fascinated readers since
ancient times.
After ten years of fighting with no victory in sight,
the goddess Athena told the Greeks to build a large wooden horse,
present it as a gift to the Trojans, break camps, board their
ships, sail away, and hide themselves in the bays of the nearby islands.
The next morning when the Trojans see that the Greeks are gone and on
the beach the magnificent horse, they a re overcome with joy. The
war has ended and Troy is safe. Laocoon, their seer of Apollo,
warns the Trojans that nothing good will come from a gift.
The Trojans ignore the warning and the horse
is pulled into the city on tree trunks, with much difficulty.
Gates had to torn down and rebuilt before the task was complete.
What the Trojans did not know that Greeks were hiding inside the horse.
The happy Trojans held a
celebration to commerate the ending of the war. There was drinking
and dancing. At the end of tje day, the
men and guards were exhausted and slept soundly. When the
moon reaches its highest point, , the Greeks opened the trap door
on the horse, climbed to the ground, and opened the gates, and
signal their cohorts to return. This is the beginning of the end
of Troy. |
