Heinrich Schliemann's quest to find Troy
German archaeologist and antiquity lover Heinrich Schliemann searched the ancient city of Troy. His legacy still inspires the field of archaeology — but some of his methods were controversial.
Millionaire with a love of antiquity
Heinrich Schliemann, born in 1822 near the German city of Rostock, did not have a lucky start in life. Due to financial hardship, he broke off his studies as a young man and began a business apprenticeship. He quickly made a career using his skill and talent for languages. He built his fortune in Moscow, selling ammunition to the tsar's army. Then he began to educate himself and travel.
Love and war
Schliemann married the 17-year-old Sophia in Greece in 1869. Here, she's seen wearing a head dress from the cache of gold known as Priam's Treasure, which Schliemann excavated from the Troy site in 1873 and smuggled back into Germany. After World War II, the artifact was moved to Russia, where it has been on display in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow since 1992.
Truth or fiction?
The legend of Troy has inspired people for thousands of years. The epic poet Homer described the Trojan War in his "Iliad," which told the tale of the city's siege by the Greeks. They were only able to conquer Troy with deception, building a wooden horse in which they hid warriors. When the residents of Troy brought the gift horse into the city, they also brought the enemy into their midst.
Homer as a guide
Using various clues in Homer's epic "Iliad" poem, Schliemann eventually found what he had been searching for hiding under a hill in Hisarlik, in what is now northwestern Turkey. The discovery was difficult to precisely map due to the long history of the city's settlement. But in 1872, Schliemann and his assistant Wilhelm Dörpfeld were finally certain: The walls they had unearthed belonged to Troy.
King Priam's Treasure
On May 31, 1873, Schliemann believed he had found his ultimate prize: the palace of King Priam. He also discovered golden artifacts hidden under shards of broken pottery — this precious head dress among them. Later, however, it was determined that the relics came from a much earlier time.
Following the 'Iliad'
Schliemann also hoped to uncover additional sites from early Greek history, other places featured in Homer's "Iliad." In 1874, at the age of 52, Schliemann traveled to the site of Mycenae, where he suspected he would find the grave of the legendary Greek leader Agamemnon. There, too, he made a sensational discovery.
Agamemnon's Mask?
During his excavations in Mycenae, Schliemann discovered a grave with two skeletons. Obsessed with his idea to uncover traces of the Trojan War, he dubbed one of the death masks "Mask of Agamemnon." It later turned out not to belong to the famous ruler, but to a Mycenaean prince.
Archeological pioneer
Despite being an archaeological pioneer, Schliemann was ridiculed by his German compatriots. In initial excavations, he destroyed important findings at the Troy site. Later, he began to examine the site more closely with meticulously planned trenches, discovering ceramics which he used as "index fossils." He also left behind an accurate record of all his discoveries.