The ancient rationalist writer Palaephatus rejected the Trojan Horse story as mythical and offered a literal alternative explanation.

Palaephatus, an ancient Greek writer who sought to demystify mythology, argued that the Greeks built a wooden horse so large it could not be brought through the city gates. Instead, the Greek captains waited outside in a hollow place he called the 'Argive Company.' He proposed that Sinon, a Greek deserter, tricked the Trojans with a false prophecy — telling them the horse would protect Troy if brought inside, but would doom them if they refused. The Trojans tore down part of their wall to bring the horse in, and the Greeks attacked through the breach at night.