1. The Judgement of Paris:
- King Priam of Troy hosted a wedding competition of sorts for his daughter, Helen. The contenders included gods and heroes from across Greece.
- During the competition, the prince of Troy, Paris, was tasked to choose the most beautiful of the three goddesses: Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera.
- Aphrodite promised Paris the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta.
- Paris chose Aphrodite and awarded her the golden apple.
2. Abduction of Helen:
- Paris traveled to Sparta and managed to convince Helen to abandon her husband and sail to Troy with him. This brazen act sparked outrage among the Greeks, especially her husband Menelaus and brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae.
3. The Siege of Troy:
- Agamemnon rallied other Greek kings and warriors, forming a formidable coalition known as the Achaeans. They set sail for Troy to bring back Helen and restore honor to the Greek nation.
- The Greeks laid siege to Troy and engaged the Trojans in a war that lasted for about ten years.
4. Use of the Trojan Horse:
- With the war seemingly at a stalemate, the Greeks devised a cunning strategy to breach Troy's fortified walls. They constructed a large wooden horse and concealed a select group of soldiers inside.
- The Greeks pretended to retreat, leaving behind the horse. The Trojans, thinking it was a gift, dragged the horse into the city.
5. The Fall of Troy:
- At night, the Greek warriors emerged from the horse, opened the city gates from within, and signaled their fellow combatants, who had concealed themselves nearby.
- The Greeks overran Troy, engaging the Trojans in fierce urban warfare and eventually capturing the city.
- The events that transpired during and after the sack of Troy, including the fates of various heroes, are chronicled extensively in numerous myths and poems.
While much of the information related to the Trojan War is shrouded in myth and legend, the accounts of the Trojan Horse and the fall of Troy have become iconic and have been depicted in art, literature, and theatrical performances throughout the ages.