Schliemann, Heinrich (1822–1890)

German archaeologist. In 1870 he began excavating at Hissarlik, Turkey, the traditional site of Troy, and uncovered its ruins and those of other cities on the site. His later excavations were at Mycenae, Greece, 1874–76, where he discovered the ruins of the Mycenaean civilization.

In four periods of excavation at Hissarlik, Schliemann distinguished the ruins of nine consecutive cities, believing the Troy described by the poet Homer to be the second city from the bottom. Since then research suggests that Troy III, the third city from the bottom, is probably Homeric Troy.

On Mycenae he excavated five shaft graves. The artefacts uncovered there were regarded as startling finds because they were stylistically unknown, and at first thought to be foreign rather than native. Dating from around 1500 BC, they included rapiers and short swords, jewellery, and spiral decoration resembling that found in central Europe.

Schliemann also worked at Orchomenus 1880 and Tiryns 1884, where he uncovered the ground plan of a Mycenaean palace.

Schliemann earned a fortune in business, retiring 1863 to pursue his lifelong ambition of proving a historical basis for Homer's Iliad and discovering Troy. In 1868 he went to Ithaca, and two years later to Hissarlik.

Schliemann's archaeological practices drew criticism from his contemporaries and current archaeologists, and placed doubt on his findings. However, he is important in the development of archaeological discipline, and he caught the public imagination with regard to archaeology and its interpretation.