The Tenth Year
For nine long years, the Greeks succeeded in conquering the towns around Troy, but they hadn't conquered the city itself. The siege dragged on. So much blood had already been spilled; men missed their families; and exhaustion was taking its toll. Something had to give. The tenth year was the turning point of the war. Just as several factors combined to cause the war, a number of different events worked together to bring the war to its close.
Trojans Ahead
Hector's death was a severe blow to the Trojans. Soon after, however, the Greeks lost Achilles (killed by Paris with Apollo's help) and Ajax of Salamis, who killed himself. Also, Amazon warriors arrived to help the Trojan cause. These events did not bode well for the Greeks. However, they were far from giving up. If anything, they became even more motivated.
An Insider's Secrets
Led by Odysseus, the Greeks captured Helenus, Priam's son and one of Troy's chief prophets. Helenus revealed that the Greek forces would never defeat Troy without the help of Achilles' son Neoptolemus, and Philoctetes, who owned the bow and arrows of Heracles. Helenus also told the Greeks that Troy could not fall as long as the Palladium stood within the city.
Odysseus and Diomedes volunteered to fetch Neoptolemus and Philoctetes. First they went to Scyrus to recruit the young Neoptolemus. This was an easy task, for the young man was eager to join the army and live up to his father's honorable name. Next they traveled to the island of Lemnos to get Philoctetes, who proved to be more difficult to recruit. Philoctetes was bitter toward the Greeks, especially Odysseus, for abandoning him on the island years before. But the ghost of Heracles visited Philoctetes and told him it was his duty to help the Greeks, so he agreed to join the Greek cause.
What was the Palladium?
The Palladium was a sacred statue erected by Athena to honor her young friend Pallas, whom Athena had inadvertently killed. Originally the Palladium was placed in the heavens, but later it fell to Earth and landed on the site of the future city of Troy. The statue was believed to protect the city from destruction.
When the group returned to Troy, Odysseus and Diomedes devised a scheme to steal the Palladium from inside the city walls. They disguised themselves, and under cover of night, snuck into Troy and removed the statue unchallenged.
Although the Greeks accomplished the tasks outlined by Helenus, Troy did not fall. They still needed a plan.
