Turkey to Display Wooden Horse From 'Troy'

LOS ANGELES – Just like its Trojan ancestors, the modern nation of Turkey is about to welcome a gigantic hollow horse into its borders.

The result this time, however, is unlikely to be as catastrophic.

Warner Bros. representatives said recently the studio plans to sign a permanent loan agreement with the Turkish government to display the prop "wooden" horse from the recent Brad Pitt (search) movie, "Troy."

It is expected to be showcased near the location where archaeologists believe the ancient city once stood, close to the Dardanelles, the narrow waterway through which ships have to pass from the Aegean Sea (search) to enter the Black Sea.

There's no way to know for sure that the ruins uncovered there are the remains of the civilization immortalized in Homer's epic poem (search). But there are similarities between the two, and strong evidence suggests that the city that did stand there was destroyed in the beginning of the 12th century B.C.

In the movie, the 10-year siege of Troy culminates with the Trojan horse concealing Greek troops who begin sacking the city.

The horse figure from "Troy" stands 38 feet high and weighs 11 tons and was fashioned from steel and fiberglass designed to look like wood recycled from the hulls of ships, which was likely the only building material available to the Greeks.

It was built to be separated in two pieces for shipping.

The prop is being shipped to Turkey from a promotional stop in Japan, and will likely arrive early next week, Warner Bros. said.