Unearthing Legends: The Controversial Legacy of Heinrich Schliemann
Delving into the life and excavations of the audacious archaeologist who sought to prove Homeric tales, and the enduring debates surrounding his methods.
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Who was Schliemann?
The Visionary Amateur
Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann (1822โ1890) was a German businessman who transformed into an influential amateur archaeologist. Driven by a profound belief in the literal truth of Homer's epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, he dedicated the latter half of his life to locating and excavating the physical sites mentioned in these ancient texts.[18] His groundbreaking work at Hisarlik, now widely accepted as the site of ancient Troy, and at the Mycenaean centers of Mycenae and Tiryns, significantly bolstered the argument for the historicity of Homeric events.[1]
A Complex Figure
Despite his monumental discoveries, Schliemann's legacy is marked by considerable controversy. His excavation techniques, often described as destructive and lacking in meticulous record-keeping, led to the irreversible damage of significant archaeological layers, including those now believed to represent the Homeric Troy.[1] He is frequently referred to as the "father of pre-Hellenistic archaeology," yet his methods and interpretations have been subject to intense scrutiny and criticism by professional archaeologists, highlighting a persistent tension between amateur passion and scientific rigor in the field.[18]
Early Life & Aspirations
Formative Years in Mecklenburg
Born on January 6, 1822, in Neubukow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Heinrich Schliemann was the fifth of nine children to Luise Therese Sophie and Ernst Schliemann, a Lutheran minister. The family relocated to Ankershagen in 1823, where their former residence now houses the Heinrich Schliemann Museum.[2] His early interest in history was nurtured by his father, who immersed him in the tales of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Schliemann famously claimed that at the tender age of seven, he declared his future ambition to excavate the legendary city of Troy.[3][4]
Education and Hardship
Schliemann's formal education was curtailed by family circumstances. After three months at the Gymnasium in Neustrelitz, he transferred to a Realschule following accusations of embezzlement against his father.[5] The family's financial hardship made a university education unattainable, a factor that would later contribute to a perceived divide between Schliemann and academically trained professionals in his archaeological career.[6] At 14, he became a grocery apprentice in Fรผrstenberg, where he later recounted his passion for Homer being rekindled by a drunken miller's recitations.[5] After five years, a chest injury forced him to leave, leading him to Hamburg and eventually to Amsterdam as a cabin boy, surviving a shipwreck off the coast of the Netherlands.[7][5]
A Merchant's Ascent
From Clerk to Polyglot Entrepreneur
On March 1, 1844, at 22 years old, Schliemann joined B. H. Schrรถder & Co., an import/export firm, and was sent to St. Petersburg as a General Agent in 1846. His remarkable aptitude for languages became a cornerstone of his business success. He developed a personal system, claiming he could master a new language in just six weeks, and maintained his diary in the language of his current country.[5] By the end of his life, he was proficient in English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Swedish, Polish, Greek, Latin, and Arabic, in addition to his native German.[9] This linguistic prowess was invaluable in his international trading ventures.
Gold Rush and Global Trade
In 1850, Schliemann learned of his brother Ludwig's death, who had amassed wealth as a speculator in the California gold fields.[10][11] He traveled to California in early 1851, establishing a bank in Sacramento and rapidly buying and reselling over a million dollars' worth of gold dust within six months.[12] While there, he acquired U.S. citizenship, though this was later revealed to have occurred in 1869, not 1850 as he claimed in his autobiography.[13] Schliemann also fabricated stories of dining with President Millard Fillmore[14] and witnessing the San Francisco Fire of 1851.[16] After selling his business in California, he returned to Russia, where he made substantial profits trading indigo dye.[12] By 1858, at 36, Schliemann was wealthy enough to retire, claiming his intention was to dedicate himself to the pursuit of Troy.
The Archaeological Expeditions
The Quest for Homer's Troy
Schliemann's primary archaeological ambition was to locate the legendary city of Troy. Initially, the accepted site for Troy was Pฤฑnarbaลฤฑ, a hilltop on the Trojan Plain. However, after his own soundings proved disappointing,[23] he was persuaded by English amateur archaeologist Frank Calvert to investigate Hisarlik, a site Calvert had identified as Troy and owned land on.[24] Schliemann, initially skeptical, began excavations at Hisarlik in 1870.[25] By 1873, he had unearthed nine distinct buried cities, revealing a complex stratigraphy of human habitation.[26]
Priam's Treasure and its Aftermath
On June 15, 1873, the day before excavations were scheduled to cease, Schliemann made his most famous discovery: a trove of gold artifacts he named "Priam's Treasure."[9][27] He later recounted a dramatic story of dismissing his workmen to excavate the treasure with his wife, Sophia, who allegedly carried it away in her shawl. This narrative, however, was a fabrication; Sophia was in Athens at the time.[31] Schliemann smuggled the treasure out of the Ottoman Empire, leading to a lawsuit and an indemnity payment. The collection eventually found its way to Berlin in 1881, only to be seized by Soviet forces during WWII and transferred to the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, a fact acknowledged by the museum in 1994.[9][27][32]
Mycenae and Other Discoveries
In 1876, Schliemann extended his archaeological endeavors to Mycenae, working under the supervision of Greek archaeologist Panagiotis Stamatakis.[33] Here, he uncovered the Shaft Graves, revealing skeletons adorned with regal gold, including the iconic "Mask of Agamemnon." These findings were detailed in his 1878 publication, Mycenae.[9][27] His subsequent excavations included further work at Troy (1878โ1879, 1882โ1883, 1889โ1890, often with Wilhelm Dรถrpfeld), Ithaca, and Orchomenus, where he explored the Treasury of Minyas, and Tiryns, also with Dรถrpfeld.[34][35][36]
Personal Life
First Marriage and Family
After discovering his childhood sweetheart, Minna, had married another, Schliemann entered into his first marriage with Ekaterina Petrovna Lyschin (1826โ1896) on October 12, 1852. Ekaterina was the niece of a wealthy friend in St. Petersburg. Together, they had three children: a son, Sergey (1855โ1941), and two daughters, Natalya (1859โ1869) and Nadezhda (1861โ1935).[12] Schliemann's extensive travels and dedication to his business and later archaeological pursuits often led to prolonged separations from his wife and children. His request for Ekaterina to join him in Paris in 1866, where he was studying at the Sorbonne and managing assets, was met with her refusal.[37]
A Homeric Union
Schliemann's marital life took a significant turn in 1869 when he sought a divorce from Ekaterina. He briefly resided in Indianapolis, Indiana, to exploit the state's liberal divorce laws, obtaining a divorce by misrepresenting his residency and intent to remain in the U.S.[38] Shortly after, he moved to Athens and, with the assistance of his friend Archbishop Theokletos Vimpos, found a new spouse. He married 17-year-old Sophia Engastromenos, the archbishop's cousin's daughter, on September 23, 1869. Schliemann sought a partner who shared his "enthusiasm about Homer and about a rebirth of my beloved Greece." Sophia and Heinrich had two children, Andromache and Agamemnon Schliemann, named after figures from the Homeric epics.[27]
Final Years & Demise
Ailing Health and Defiance
In August 1890, Schliemann reluctantly returned to Athens. By November, he traveled to Halle for an operation on a chronic ear infection. Although doctors deemed the surgery successful, his inner ear became severely inflamed. Disregarding medical advice, he left the hospital and embarked on a journey through Leipzig, Berlin, and Paris. His condition worsened, preventing him from making the planned boat trip from Naples back to Athens for Christmas. Despite his deteriorating health, he managed a final visit to the ruins of Pompeii.[47]
Resting in Athens
On Christmas Day 1890, Heinrich Schliemann collapsed into a coma, passing away the following day in a Naples hotel room. The cause of death was cholesteatoma, a destructive and expanding growth in the middle ear. His remains were transported by friends to the First Cemetery in Athens, where he was interred in a grand mausoleum. Designed by Ernst Ziller, the mausoleum is shaped like an ancient Greek amphiprostyle temple, atop a tall base. A frieze encircling the structure depicts scenes of Schliemann conducting his famous excavations at Mycenae and other significant sites, a fitting tribute to his life's work.[47]
Legacy & Criticism
Enduring Impact on Archaeology
Schliemann, alongside Sir Arthur Evans, stands as a pivotal pioneer in the study of the Aegean civilization during the Bronze Age. His audacious pursuit of Homeric sites ignited widespread interest in ancient Greek history and archaeology. His magnificent Athenian residence, the Iliou Melathron ("Palace of Ilium"), now fittingly houses the Numismatic Museum of Athens, a testament to his enduring presence in the city. Schliemann had even planned to excavate at Knossos, a dream cut short by his death, with Arthur Evans subsequently acquiring the site and commencing excavations in 1900.[39]
Scholarly Scrutiny and Destructive Methods
Despite his contributions, Schliemann's archaeological methods have faced severe and persistent criticism. Later excavations at Troy revealed that the layer he identified as Homer's Troy (Troy II) was chronologically inaccurate, predating the Trojan War by a thousand years.[40] Consequently, "Priam's Treasure" was also from a much earlier Early Bronze Age period, not the Mycenaean Age of Homeric epics. Critics, such as Kenneth W. Harl, sarcastically noted that Schliemann's rough methods "did to Troy what the Greeks could not do in their times, destroying and levelling down the entire city walls to the ground."[41]
Furthermore, Schliemann's discovery of swastikas on pottery at Troy led him to consult with Aryan nationalist รmile-Louis Burnouf, who subsequently popularized the symbol in connection with Aryan nationalism.[50] While Carl Blegen later offered some leniency, attributing Schliemann's recklessness to the nascent state of archaeological science in his era, the debates surrounding his integrity and methodology continue to shape the discourse in classical archaeology.[46]
Published Works
A Scholar's Output
Heinrich Schliemann documented his travels, theories, and archaeological findings in several influential publications, which, despite their controversies, provided invaluable insights into the ancient world and fueled public interest in archaeology.
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References
References
- Traill, David A. "Schliemann's Mendacity: Fire and Fever in California." The Classical Journal 74, no. 4 (1979): 348-55. Accessed 23 April 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/3297144.
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