Sometimes in history there stands a figure that is able to last for many generations.  At times it is a great warrior, such as Alexander the great.  At other times it might be someone that had touched the lives of many people in a good way and had left themselves a legacy that will always be remembered.  From time to time, however, there are figures from history that never actually existed which find their way into our modern culture.  One of these figures is the Trojan horse, not only because of what it accomplished but because of what it stood for.  Now the term Trojan horse is used in many different ways in our culture to describe events that can be drawn as a parallel to this historical event.  Perhaps the most amazing thing about it's history is that it never actually occurred.  How did such a significant figure find its way into our modern century? 

The story comes from what was known as the Trojan war.  This was a war that led to a siege of the city of Troy for over 10 years.  Whenever the Greeks felt that they were unable to penetrate the walls of the city they come up with an interesting plan.  They built a giant horse that was hollow on the inside to give to the city of Troy as a peace offering.  The inside of this horse was actually hollowed out in order to be able to hold Greek troops to enter into the city.  The remaining Grecian troops were then pulled back and hid at some distance. 

It was placed outside the gate of Troy and was accepted happily.  Although there were some people that warned of treachery, the majority of the city of Troy accepted the gift and began to celebrate their newfound independence and peace from the advancing Greeks.  Whatever the city fell into a drunken stupor from their celebration the Greek troops advanced out of the hollow horse, open the city gates and allowed the troops that were hidden outside to end her in and take over the city.  All of the men inside the city were reportedly killed and the women and children were taken off into slavery. 

Although this story is a myth and has its roots in ancient religious beliefs there may be some truth to it after all.  It is impossible to say whether the large hollow horse ever existed or not but now many archaeologists believe that they have stumbled upon the ruins of what may be the city of Troy.  It is difficult to know for sure whether these ruins exist as there are many cities built on top of each other in the reported area.  Regardless of whether this actually ever happened or not, it is something that is used in context down to our day.