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The horse
The Greeks amassed a mighty fleet and set sail for Troy. Initially they did battle with the Trojans and their allies in various parts of Asia Minor, but eventually the war reached a stalemate with the Greeks in control of most of the land and the Trojans besieged inside their city, which seemed impregnable. It is this siege scenario that provides the setting for most of the stories about the Trojan War.
The Greeks amassed a mighty fleet and set sail for Troy. Initially they did battle with the Trojans and their allies in various parts of Asia Minor, but eventually the war reached a stalemate with the Greeks in control of most of the land and the Trojans besieged inside their city, which seemed impregnable. It is this siege scenario that provides the setting for most of the stories about the Trojan War.
==The Trojan Horse==
After a stalemate lasting ten years, with the Greeks unable to enter Troy and the Trojans unable to send the Greeks home, the cunning Greek king [[Odysseus]] devised an ingenious plan. The Greeks pretended to surrender and sail home, leaving behind only an enormous wooden horse, which appeared to be a peace offering. The Trojans brought the horse inside the city, and at nightfall a horde of Greek warriors burst out of it, caught their enemies off guard and sacked the city.
Although it does not form part of the Iliad, this story is the most famous part of the Trojan War, and the phrase ''Trojan horse'' is now applied to anything that appears benign until it has gained another's trust, and then reveals itself as malicious and damaging. The proverb 'Beware of Greeks bearing gifts', a warning against naivety, also has its origins here.