The Trojan Horses of Troy: A Mythical Story Comes to Life

By Bob Brady, 29-time traveler from Braintree, MA

An itinerary stop on the Turkey’s Magical Hideaways extension Northwest Turkey: Battlefields of Ancient Troy and Gallipoli & Istanbul brought us to the remains of Troy, an ancient city where history and mythology come together. The archeological site resides in Troia Historical National Park in the country’s Çanakkale Province. It has secured a place on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Active excavations continue well over one hundred years since the digging through its ruins commenced in earnest. Troy, once a strategic port city at the mouth of the Dardanelles, resided on a spot where, over time, nine distinct civilizations built upon it one on top of the other.

Troy has received much of its timeless fame thanks to ancient epic mythological tales relating to its ultimate downfall. In essence, a ten-year Trojan War was precipitated by a prince of Troy who abducted the wife of the King of Sparta. The conflict resulted in a decade-long siege of Troy by the Greeks of Sparta. The stalemate finally was broken by a now legendary ruse designed to penetrate the walled city defenses of Troy.

While pretending to withdraw their forces in defeat, the Greeks supposedly constructed a huge hollow wooden horse that they left behind at the city’s gates to deceive the Trojan recipients into believing that it was a parting tribute. The gigantic wheeled equine replica surreptitiously concealed a group of warriors inside who were poised to exit once Troy’s inhabitants brought the gift inside their protected domain. The false tribute’s trickery worked, and while the Trojans were enthusiastically celebrating their perceived victory, the Greek soldiers departed the innards and opened the city’s gates to their secretly returned legions of fighters. Troy fell, the city was sacked, and the queen was returned home.

While the tale of the Trojan War is steeped in fiction, the fable of the legendary Trojan Horse has resulted in an accommodation to that fantasy at the entry to the national park and its archeologic trails. Two Trojan Horses can be found at the site. In front of a 41 foot “replica,” stands a small red version stationed there for photo opportunities. The larger structure, completed in 1974, is made out of 883 cubic feet of pinewood. A steep staircase allows entry into the modern version and access to its two internal levels. In addition, there are viewing windows on each of the floors. Two of us rose to the challenge and climbed up into the Trojan Horse’s claustrophobic insides and its low beams that required frequent ducking to avoid an unfortunate encounter with one’s skull.

Another large, imagined likeness of a Trojan Horse can be found on Çanakkale’s waterfront promenade in a cordoned off circular spot. This model was used in the 2004 Warner Brothers motion picture, Troy, starring Brad Pitt. After traveling to Berlin for the movie’s premiere and to Japan on a promotional tour, the mythical representation took up residence in Turkey, on a loan from the movie company. It’s been said to be a better version of what could have been constructed during that ancient era due to its use of period facsimile rope, tackle, and wooden strips. It stands slightly smaller than its national park counterpart at around 37 feet. “Brad Pitt’s Horse” weighs 11 tons.

I couldn’t resist acquiring my own version of the Trojan Horse as a souvenir. However, mine is small, fitting in the palm of my hand, with a magnet attached to its backside to adhere to its place of honor on my refrigerator’s door.

Discover both the real history and mythology of Troy during the Northwest Turkey: Battlefields of Ancient Troy and Gallipoli & Istanbul post-trip extension to Turkey’s Magical Hideaways.