The war dragged on for 10 years. The Greeks could not break into Troy and the Trojans could not drive them off.

Many heroes were killed on both sides. One great Trojan hero was Aeneas, Aphrodite’s son by Anchises. He was wounded by Diomedes and Aphrodite rushed to help him. Diomedes stopped her and even dared graze her with a spear. In the end, Apollo carried him to Leto and Artemis, who healed him.

The most famous Greek warrior was Achilles. He was one of seven sons of Thetis and Peleus. She made six of her sons immortal by burning away their mortal half. She was doing the same for baby Achilles when Peleus came in. He thought she was hurting the child and prevented her finishing, so Achilles was left with one vulnerable place on his body where he could be fatally wounded. The heel by which Thetis had held him.

when Achilles was born Thetis tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. However, he was left vulnerable at the part of the body by which she held him, his heel. Or In another version of this story, Thetis anointed the boy in ambrosia and put him on top of a fire to burn away the mortal parts of his body. She was interrupted by Peleus and abandoned both father and son in a rage.

Achilles was given the choice of a long, undistinguished life, or, a short but glorious one. He chose the second.

As time went on, the warriors began to quarrel. Achilles argued with Agamemnon over a slave girl and left the battle (taking his Myrmidons with him) sulking.

The Greeks lost heart and were driven back by the Trojan hero Hector, Priam’s son.

In desperation Patroculus put on Achilles’s armour and led Achilles myrmidons in an attack. He was not as skilled as Achilles, but wearing his armour he gave the Greeks hope and they fought back. Hector, the Trojan hero, killed Patroculus.

Achilles was stricken with guilt and he plunged back into the battle.

He killed Hector and dragged his body round the city behind his chariot before letting the Trojans buy it back for burial.

Paris emerged to avenge Hector’s death and shot Achilles in the heel-his only weak spot- and killed him.

Ajax and Odysseus disputed who should inherit Achilles’s armour, as they both gaurded it during the battle. Agamemnon decided Odysseus should have it and Ajax killed himself in shame.

To prevent more trouble, Odysseus gave the armour to Achilles’s son Neoptolemus. With many of their heroes dead, the greeks were told that only the famous archer Philoctetes could save them.

Philocetes had been on his way to Troy when he had been bitten by a snake. The wound was not fatal but would not heal so the Greeks left him behind. He felt very bitter about this and when the Greeks came back looking for help he refused at first.

Then Heracles came to him in a dream, saying that if he helped the Greeks and went to Troy, his wound would heal. He returned with them and killed Paris with a skillful shot, which gave the Greeks new hope. At once the snake bite began to heel as Heracles had promised.

Troy finally fell thanks to a trick thought up by Odysseus. The Greeks pretended to give up. They built a huge wooden horse as a gift to Athene, so that she would grant them a safe trip home.

They left it outside the gates of Troy and sailed away. The Trojans were overjoyed. They pulled the horse through the city gates and offered it at their own temple of Athene.

That night they celebrated, but when they were asleep, some Greeks who had hidden inside the hollow horse slipped out of the trap door in its side. They opened the city gates to let in the Greek army, who had sneaked back under cover of darkness.

The Greeks ransacked Troy and vast numbers of Trojans were killed. Helen was captured and taken to Menelaus. He intended to punish her but despite all the bloodshed she had caused, he found he still loved her and took her back as his wife.