2. The story of the Trojan Horse
occurred in 1250 BC.

3. In the
southern part
of Greece
lived a group
of people
called the
Mycenaeans.

4. They borrowed the ways
of the Minoans.

5. There was a prince named
Paris who lived in the city
of Troy, which is across
the sea from Greece.

6. Legend says
that Paris was
asked to judge a
beauty contest
between 3
goddesses. He
chose Aphrodite

7. As a
reward, Aphrodite
promised Paris
the most beautiful
woman in the
world. He
traveled to Greece
and met a woman
named Helen.

8. Supposedly, Paris and
Helen fell in love, eloped
and moved back to Troy.

9. The problem with this story, is that Helen
was already the wife of Menelaus, the
king in Sparta. He was furious and
humiliated that they captured his wife.
He asked his brother to go to war with
him to get his wife back.

10. They came up with a plan
of presenting the Trojans
with a magnificent horse.

11. The Horse was huge and
was delivered right up to
their gates of the city.

12. The Trojans eventually
opened the gates and
rolled the horse inside.

13. They had a great celebration
around the horse because they
thought that the Greeks had
given up.

14. It was a scam though. After the party
was over, in the middle of the night---
dozens of Greek soldiers who had
been hiding in the wooden horse
climbed out the trap door.

15. They opened the gates to the
city and let more soldiers in----
they burned down the city of
Troy—conquering it.

16. Paris was killed in battle
and Helen eventually got
his wife back and took her
back to Greece.

17. A man named
Homer, who lived
hundred of years
after the Trojan
War, wrote this
story for us. His
story was called
The Illiad.