From the introduction:
It is now ten years since the Greek armies landed on the Trojan shores. The war has been slow going. In fact, apart from regular skirmishes, nothing much has happened. Troy itself is more or less impregnable – the walls were built by Gods. There has been no real attempt on the part of the Greeks to prevent supplies (or, for that matter, allies) from reaching the Trojans. The Greek campaign has consisted mainly of setting up camp on the shore, raiding local villages for women and supplies and buying whatever else they needed from Phonecian traders. The Trojan response to the Greek ‘invasion’ has not been terribly energetic. King Priam is worried by the thought of risking his sons in battle. He’s been assembling allies and hanging on to his gold. From time to time the troops have been out, but no serious attempt has been made to drive the Greeks away.