Is there any archeological evidence of the existence of the Trojan Horse?
Of course not. However, the story depicts one of the first examples of military deception. The Iliad describes the Trojan War, presumed fought by the Greeks during the 13th century BC.
While Schliemann discovered Troy he didn’t realize Troy was burned and rebuilt many times. After ten years of stalemate, Odysseus devised a ruse and asked the Greeks to construct a hollow wooden horse which they inscribed as an offering to the goddess Athena in prayer for safe return to their homes. The Greeks then pretended to depart the area around Troy, the Trojans brought the horse into the city. That night, Greek soldiers concealed inside the horse came out of their hiding place and opened the city gates.
The main force of Greek soldiers who had remained nearby then entered the city and sacked Troy. While no one knows if this story is real, we all agree that the story is so intense and alive and describes one of the first uses of a hoax for military deception.