Heinrich Schliemann was a German banker who believed archaeology could be informed by ancient literature. His most famous excavation was the mound of Hissarlik in Turkey, which he believed to be the setting for Homer’s Iliad.
Schliemann may have only been an amateur, but his excavations were well recorded and he was one of the first to recognise stratigraphy as a means of dating. He can be credited with providing material evidence for the Greek Bronze Age.
The Businessman turned Archaeologist
Born in Neubuckow in Germany in 1822, Schliemann began his working life as a shop assistant. However, his skill for business and gift for languages helped him build up businesses in Amsterdam and St Petersburg. By 1863 was a successful banker.
His fortune made, at 41, Schliemann decided to pursue the search for Troy. Despite having no archaeological or classical education, he was convinced that the works of Homer could be used as a definitive guide to discovering the site of the lost ancient city.
Archaeological Exploration of a Mythical City
The traditional site for the city of Troy was a mound at Hissarlik in Turkey. Here, Schliemann and a team of professionals headed by the German archaeologist Wilheim Dorpfeld began digging in 1871.
Schliemann was convinced that Priam’s Troy would be at the very base of the mound. So he dug a trench 40m wide north to south through the middle of the hill.
The trench revealed layers of activity throughout time, and with Dorpfeld’s help, Schliemann identified nine phases of activity on the site, naming each Troy 1-9. Dating established the site was occupied from 3000 to 1100BC, although later evidence of Greek and Roman cities was found around the mound.
Schliemann quickly fixed upon Troy 3 as the layer relating to Homer’s Troy. This was due to the burned debris prominent in the layers as well as many gold and silver treasures and weapons. Schliemann later reconsidered this assessment, and Dorpfeld re-evaluated it after Schliemann’s death because some of the pottery found in the layer predated the period Homer was writing about. The matter is still open to speculation, with some believing Troy 9 was the Homeric Troy while some believe Troy never existed at all.
Schliemann had agreed to pass on any finds to the Turkish government. However, he handed them over to the German government instead. Compensation was paid and the finds from Hissarlik were housed in the Ethnological Museum in Berlin in 1882.
Mycenae and Other Archaeological Sites
Schliemann took the skills he had developed at Troy and moved on to other Homeric sites. In 1876, he began digging at Mycenae, which he believed to be the seat of king Agamemnon, and excavated six shaft graves found to contain grave goods and death masks now on view at the museum in Athens.
In 1869 he began work at Ithaca, the legendary home of Odysseus and in 1878, the city of Tiryns. He continued to dig at the site he believed to be Troy until he died in 1890.
Archaeological Innovations and Excavation Techniques
Schliemann rapidly published his findings from the site in reports to major national newspapers worldwide, ensuring publicity and attention. Some of that attention was critical, especially from professional archaeologists who objected to his methods. Some of those objections remain today, with many dismissing Schliemann as a glorified treasure hunter.
Despite his amateur status, Schliemann followed vigorous techniques for his day. His excavations were systematic and he ensured he learnt from the professionals he employed. His diaries and notes show his great attention to detail, recording all he found in his trenches, not just the treasure.
One example of this professional attitude is his recognition of stratigraphy’s importance in defining a site’s chronology. Schliemann recognised that the distinct layers in his trench related to different periods. He took care to record all of those layers, not just those relating to the period he was interested in.
Schliemann’s Legacy
Despite the arguments about Schliemann’s professionalism, one fact is without a doubt-his work led to the discovery of two prehistoric civilisations.
Even if Hissarlik is not the legendary city of Homer, the site is unique in showing how the civilisation of ancient Anatolia developed. And whilst it is also debatable that Mycenae was the capital of Agamemnon’s kingdom, it was the site that helped establish the Greek Bronze Age as a recognisable part of Greek prehistory.
Resources
Green, Kevin (1995) Archaeology: An Introduction. BT Batsford Ltd: London
Magnusson, Magnus (1993) Chambers Biographical Dictionary
Illustrated Dictionary of Archaeology
