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The Trojan War

The Trojan Horse was used by the Greeks to infiltrate Troy.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

The story of Troy and the Trojan War is more than a Brad Pitt movie; it's a Greek myth that dates back hundreds and hundreds of years. Some peeps think it may even have really happened. Get the 411 here.

Trojan War - The Myth

The story of the Trojan War comes from Greek mythology. The story goes that a great war was fought between Greece and the ancient city of Troy after Helen of Troy, the beautiful wife of the Greek King, took off with her new fling. The Greeks sailed to Troy to recover Helen. After ten years, the Greeks won the war by hiding soldiers in a large wooden horse, which they left in font of the gates of Troy. Curiosity got the best of the Trojans and they brought the horse inside the city's gates. At night, the Greek soldiers let themselves out and burned Troy to the ground.

Trojan War - The Reality

Some experts think that the Trojan War may be more than a myth. Recent excavations have revealed the ruins of a large town near the site of ancient Troy, dated to around 1300 BC, which is near the time when the Trojan War is supposed to have taken place. This makes Troy about 15 times larger than it was previously thought to be, and raises the Trojan population size from several hundred to about 10,000 - enough to form an army. Also, archaeologists have found piles of rounded stones used as ammunition for slingshots, which makes it seem that the town was under siege.

Trojan War - Did U Know?

Tons of expressions come from the Trojan War and the mythological creatures in it, like Achilles Heel (a small but important weakness), and Trojan Horse (something that appears legitimate but is actually destructive).
The tale of the Trojan War is told in The Illiad, by Homer (doh, not Homer Simpson - the Greek epic poet).
The film Troy (starring Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom) cost $200 million US to make.