Schliemann, Heinrich

Schliemann, Heinrich (1822-90), German archaeologist.

At the age of seven, Heinrich Schliemann was given a picture book which told the history of the world. Heinrich especially liked the picture which showed the ancient city of Troy burning.

Heinrich learned about Troy from his father and said he would like to go there one day. 'There is not much hope of that,' said his father. 'There is no city of Troy today and no one is sure where it used to be.'

When he grew up, Schliemann made up his mind to find Troy.

His family were not rich and he had to work for a living. But he studied at the same time. First he learned to keep accounts so that he could be a businessman. Then he learned six languages so that he could travel. After that he started a business of his own, and by the time he was forty-five he was rich.

He set out to look for Troy. Under a plain in Turkey, he found a series of cities built one upon the other. In time, he uncovered the ruins of nine different cities. He believed the ninth was the city of Troy mentioned in Homer's Iliad and in it he found treasure. He believed this had belonged to King Priam. It can be seen today in a museum in Berlin.

Schliemann later made some other important archaeological discoveries at Mycenae and Tiryns in Greece.

When he died, his body lay in state in Athens and the King of Greece went to pay his respects to the dead archaeologist.

Schliemann did find the Troy of the Iliad but it was not the lowest city that he had found the treasure in. Later archaeologists discovered that it was one of the cities above that one.

See The Gold of Troy: Searching for Homer's Fabled City ~ Bruce Thomas