Final answer:
Troy was conquered through a trick involving a large wooden horse according to Homer's tales. The Trojans, deceived by this ruse known as the Trojan Horse, unwittingly allowed Greek soldiers to enter their city and overthrow it.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the epic tale, the Greeks, failing to conquer Troy through direct battle, resorted to subterfuge. They built a massive wooden horse and hid some of their soldiers inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away, leaving the horse as a supposed offering to the goddess Athena, indicating their departure. The Trojans, believing they had won, brought the horse into the city as a trophy. At night, the Greek soldiers emerged from the horse and opened the gates for the rest of their forces, and thus Troy was sacked and conquered. This story, which blends myth, legend, and potential historical fact, has persisted for millennia and is a central theme in Homer's ancient Greek epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. While largely considered a myth, archaeological evidence uncovered by Heinrich Schliemann and others suggests that the city of Troy did indeed exist, and the legends may have sprung from a kernel of historical truth. However, the details of the actual fall of Troy remain shrouded in the mist of time and legend.