LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Trojan War: Trojan Horse
built 276 days ago
During the Trojan War, Xanthus, one of Achilles' horses, was rebuked by Achilles for allowing Patroclus to be killed. Xanthus responded by saying that a god had killed Patroclus and a god would soon kill Achilles too. The Erinyes struck the horse dumb.
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When the Achaeans knew they could not take over the city of Troy by fighting them constantly in a war, they decided to play a trick on the Trojans. They built a huge wooden horse and placed it at the huge wooden gates of Troy, then they sailed away. The Trojans took what they thought was a gift into their city. What they didn’t know was that inside the horses were soldiers. They soldiers defeated Troy, destroyed almost everything, and then came back as heroes.
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Some have suggested that the Trojan Horse actually represents an earthquake that occurred between the wars that could have weakened Troy's walls and left them open for attack. Structural damage on Troy VI—its location being the same as that represented in Homer's Iliad and the artifacts found there suggesting it was a place of great trade and power—shows signs that there was indeed an earthquake. Generally though today Troy VIIa is believed to be Homer's Troy (see below).
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Trojan Horse