The story of the Trojan Horse, with which thirty Odysseus fighters got inside Troy, speaks not only of the cunning of the attackers, but also of the naivety of the defenders. Meanwhile, historians argue about whether there was a Horse to this day.
Eyewitness testimony
The ancient Roman writer Virgil, who lived during the reign of the emperor Augustus, wrote the epic poem "Aeneid", which tells about the wanderings of Aeneas from Troy to Italy. A number of historians believe that "everything that the poet wrote" he found in reliable sources. Ultimately, his poetic testimony of the tragedy of Troy went down in world history, and the phrase "Trojan horse" became a household word. Not least of all, this happened because the military cunning of three dozen soldiers crushed the fortress, which the entire army of Tsar Menelaus could not take.
Before lifting the siege, the attackers informed the Trojans that the wooden "horse" they had built was a symbol of peace and an offering to Athena as a sign of atonement for sins. And as long as he stands, they will not attack. Sinon, Odysseus's cousin, who allegedly went over to the side of the defenders, told the Trojans about this.
Wooden giant
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According to the descriptions, the Trojan Horse was 7.6 meters high and about three meters wide. The model already built today weighed about two tons and could accommodate a maximum of twenty men of average constitution typical for those times. It took forty people to roll this structure over the greased logs.
Most likely, a wooden road was built, as many experts doubt that the Trojan Horse had wheels. Historian David Rohl, citing proof of the canonical version, refers to the fact that an opening was made in the wall through which a Trojan Horse of the indicated dimensions could be dragged. On Kon was the inscription: "An offering to Athena" so that she would keep the Greek ships on the way home.
Believe or not believe?
Meanwhile, this Horse was not brought to Troy immediately after the Greek fleet disappeared in the distance. In order to carry out the preparatory work, it took at least several days. If the fighters of Odysseus were actually hiding in this wooden structure, they would have had a very hard time.
While the Greeks languished in the "belly" of the horse, their fate was decided in the city. Many residents believed that the offering should be burned. Among them was the soothsayer Cassandra, who, pointing her hand at the horse, declared that wars were hidden there. The Trojan priest Laocoon threw a spear into the offering of the Greeks, urging not to believe the enemies. “Fear the Danes, even those who bring gifts,” he shouted. Soon, as legend has it, he and his two sons were strangled by sea snakes.
Thus, serious passions were seething around this "Danai gift", but nevertheless he was dragged into the city. This happened, according to some reports, on June 6, 1209 BC. On that fateful evening, numerous guards were posted in front of the "horse", but the feast that had begun also intoxicated her. Late at night, thirty fighters led by Odysseus got out of the "gift" and opened the gates of the city. That night, Troy fell. Aeneas, one of the few who survived, told the world about the treachery of the Greeks and the naivety of Troy.
Was there a horse?
The Roman traveler and scientist Pausanias, who lived in the II century AD, wrote in his book "Description of Greece" that the Horse existed in reality, only it was not a gift, but a ram that the Trojans recaptured from the Greeks during the assault and took them inside the city to he no longer destroyed the walls. Some Greeks hid in it, who were not noticed in the confusion.
There is also another version. At that time, it was said about the rowing slaves in the hold of the ship that they were as hard as in the belly of a horse. Perhaps it was one of the damaged ship abandoned by the Greeks - bireme, in which Odysseus's fighters were hiding. Some of the Trojans brought the ship to the harbor to put it in order.
However, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, a participant in the excavation of the places where Troy could have been, doubts that there was a Greek siege at all. In any case, he did not manage to find a single arrowhead or spearhead.
Other military cunning and
To deceive the enemy, other tricks were used, similar to the Trojan horse. Homer's poem "The Odyssey" tells how the Greek pilgrims fled from the Cyclops, who were hiding under the sheep. In other words, the enemy can be deceived by presenting his soldiers as his fighters. Dressing up in enemy uniforms in order to penetrate the enemy's camp or, on the contrary, to flee from him, is one of the most common military tricks.
There are many such cases in history. For example, part of the Russian troops left Narva, besieged in 1704, disguised as the Swedes who were killed during the assault. In 1812, Denis Davydov's detachments quite often changed into the uniform of motley Napoleon regiments, and then, bringing them closer to the enemy, suddenly attacked him.
In the structure of the Abwehr there was a regiment "Brandenburg", whose soldiers were saboteurs, dressed in the form of soldiers of the Red Army. We had such units as well. For example, the memoirs of German Colonel-General Erhard Routh tell about a group of Soviet fighters who, dressed in Wehrmacht uniforms, inflicted serious losses on the Germans defending Belgorod in 1943.
Alexander Sitnikov