The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse used by the Greeks, during the Trojan War, to infiltrate the city of Troy and win the war. The Greek King of Ithaca, Odysseus, thought of building a great wooden horse (representing the emblem of Troy), hiding an elite force inside, and fooling the Trojans into wheeling the horse into their city as a trophy. An inscription was engraved on the horse, reading: "For their return home, the Greeks dedicate this offering to Athena." The Greek "deserter" Sinon convinced King Priam of Troy that the horse was meant as a gift to the gods in gratitude for their safe "departure", and the doubting Trojan soothsayer Laocoon was devoured by a sea monster after he claimed that the Horse was a trap. As a result, Priam was persuaded to bring the horse within the city walls, where a festival was held in honor of its arrival. The Greek soldiers inside the horse waited until the Trojan soldiers had gotten drunk, upon which they exited the horse on a rope, took the Trojan garrison by surprise, and burned the city to the ground, winning the war.