Long ago in ancient Greece, three goddesses argued over a golden apple marked "For the Fairest." Prince Paris of Troy must choose between:
What advice would you give Paris?
Paris chose Hera's gift of power. The other goddesses were furious! Athena helped the Greeks build mighty war machines, and Aphrodite made the Trojans fall in love with the wrong people.
Without Helen, the Greeks have no reason to attack Troy. But the gods are now fighting among themselves, destroying cities in their battles!
Paris chose Athena's gift of wisdom. He sees through the Greek's plans and predicts their attacks!
But Aphrodite is angry and makes Helen fall in love with a Greek spy, who learns Troy's secrets.
Paris chose Aphrodite's gift and took Helen from her Greek husband. Now a thousand Greek ships sail to Troy!
The war has lasted 9 years. The Greeks cannot breach Troy's walls, and the Trojans cannot drive the Greeks away.
Help the Greek ships reach Troy:
Something is wrong here! This is not how the story unfolded...
The Greeks pretend to sail away, leaving a giant wooden horse as an offering. The Trojans must decide:
Drag the horse inside the city walls:
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City gates below
At night, Greek soldiers hidden inside the horse open the city gates. Troy burns as the Greek army attacks.
Historical Note: This is the traditional ending of the Trojan War. Archaeologists found evidence that Troy was indeed destroyed around 1180 BCE.
By burning the horse, Troy avoids the Greek trick! After 10 years, the Greeks give up and sail home.
What If: If this had happened, Western literature would be very different! Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid tell the story of Troy's fall.