Archaeological discoveries of Heinrich Schliemann. Five valuable finds of Heinrich Schlimann What Heinrich Schlimann did

Which of us in childhood, having heard enough of children's fairy tales and legends about treasures, did not dream of finding a treasure. A little German boy, who was born in 1822 in a poor family of a shopkeeper from the city of Lübeck, had such a dream. The boy's name was Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann.

Long way to the dream of fabulous Troy

Even as a child, his father gave little Heinrich a World History for Children for Christmas, where a 7-year-old boy was interested in the story of Troy. There was a picture that depicted a burning city, and when, to his question about Troy, his father said that she had burned down without a trace, he confidently replied that he would find her.

Then the immortal works of Homer fell into his hands, and the impressionable boy fell in love with the ancient heroes like a child, and further strengthened the dream of finding the mysterious Troy.

The path to the dream, full of victories and disappointments, incredible adventures, sometimes bordering on madness, took a long 40 years. Having become a successful businessman, at the age of 46, Schliemann, already a millionaire, quits business and commerce, and begins to travel the world, simultaneously studying the history and mythology of Ancient Greece, attending archeology courses at the Sorbonne, and learning Greek. And all this for the sake of a dream to find Troy.

With age, Henry began to perceive Homer's text about the Trojan War in a completely different way, and when he met the British consul Frank Calvert on a trip to Greece, he talked with him for hours about Homer and Troy. They turned out to be like-minded people, and, probably, the only eccentrics at that time who perceived the ancient text of the ancient author literally.

For Schliemann and Calvert, this is not just a highly artistic literary work, but a kind of rebus in which the events of the distant past are encrypted. Heinrich Schliemann understood that time was running out, and in 1868 he went to Turkey to solve this puzzle with a stopwatch and a thermometer.

At the place indicated by his British friend, Schliemann runs through the hills, reciting steps with a stopwatch, and also measures the temperature of the water in nearby springs, because Homer indicates that two springs flowed near the walls of Troy, one with warm, the other with cold water.

The locals watched the strange man in a black top hat and a thermometer in his hands with suspicion, but gladly hired him as diggers when, in 1870, Schliemann began excavating the Hissarlik hill.

In the first year of excavations, with the support of the authorities of the Ottoman Empire, Schliemann's workers cut Hisarlik with a 15-meter moat. Fragments of ceramics, remains of stone walls, traces of large conflagrations come across in the excavation. The self-taught archaeologist is well aware that the remains of not one, but several settlements have been preserved here layer by layer, but he strives lower and lower in search of the cherished Troy.

He saw and understood a lot at the excavation. But the only thing that Schliemann never found out until the end of his life was that he simply flew over Troy, which had dug down to more ancient layers. This was later blamed on him by professional archaeologists. And also the fact that there were no records of research, where, what was found, in what layers.

But with the passion of a real treasure hunter, a dedicated history lover continued to work. Like a child, Schliemann rejoiced at every find, and once discovering a snake and a toad deep in the excavation, in the excitement of a seeker, he considered that they had been here since those ancient times, and were witnesses of the drama that played out near the walls of ancient Ilion.

dream come true

Success came in the third year of work, when on June 14, 1873, jewelry made of gold, ivory, silver vases and goblets began to appear from the ground. A total of 8,833 items were found. Schliemann's dream came true, he found Troy, and the so-called "Priam's Treasure" was the proof of this. On that hot summer day, Schliemann stood at the top of his dream, and at that time was the happiest man on earth.

It fell to him to be born at a time when adventurers and treasure seekers on the sites of ancient monuments were fading into the past, and professional archaeologists came to replace them. Schliemann not only opened Troy to the world, he became that link between adventurism and the new archeology that was only becoming infected with science.

One of the elements of Schliemann's adventurism manifested itself in the fact that he secretly took the found items outside of Turkey, and the whole world saw his Greek wife Sophia in jewelry from the time of Andromache and Helen the Beautiful.

Later, scientists, in the course of subsequent work on the Hissarlik hill, analyzed the archaeological research of the German dreamer and made disappointing conclusions. Schliemann's diggers cut through the cultural layers of nine chronological epochs. According to the account, Troy was the seventh, and the "Priam Treasure" was a kind of connecting thread of all the times of the city's existence, because things from different chronological periods got into it.

Of course, from the point of view of archaeological science, Heinrich Schliemann was an amateur. But without such people passionate about their dream, the world would not have known about Troy, Nineveh, would not have revealed the secrets of Egyptian tombs and majestic buildings and the Incas.

Only at the beginning of the twentieth century did professional excavations begin (for example,). Farmakovsky began systematic research, and Schliemann's compatriots - Walter Andre and Ernst Herzfeld, who explored the cities of Ancient Mesopotamia, launched the phrase "there is nothing more durable than a pit" into the world, were already real professionals.

Yes, Heinrich Schliemann was an amateur, but his childhood dream, embodied in reality, brought archeology to a new level of development, and, in fact, he became the founder of this fascinating and romantic science.

Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) is the son of a German pastor. At the age of seven, having read the Iliad by Homer, he vowed to find Troy and the treasures of King Priam. By the age of 46, he had made a fortune in trade deals with Russia and set about searching for Troy. Few historians believed in its real existence. Among them are the Frenchman Le Chevalier, who in the 18th century unsuccessfully searched for the state of Troad in the Mediterranean, and the Scot Charles MacLaren, who was sure that Troy was in Turkey, on the hill of Bunarbashi. The hill, around which two streams flow, was like that described in the Iliad. In 1864, the Austrian von Hahn began to dig out Troy on the nearby Hissarlik hill, but for some reason was disappointed by the fragments of the walls found. Schliemann decided that von Hahn was simply not digging, and decided to dig deeper.

Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890).

How did Schliemann calculate Troy?

Homer clarifies that the two springs near the hill are different, hot and cold: “The first spring flows with hot water ... As for the second, even in summer its water is similar to water ice.” Schliemann measured the water in all springs on Bunarbashi with a thermometer. It was the same everywhere - 17.5 degrees. He did not find a hot spring there. On Hissarlik he found only one, also cold. But then, taking soil samples, he was convinced that there had been another hot one here before. Schliemann calculated that there were 34 springs on the Bunarbashi hill. Schliemann's guide claimed that he was mistaken and there were more sources - 40. This is evidenced by the second, popular name of the hill: Kyrk-Gyoz, that is, "forty eyes". The Iliad describes only two. According to Schliemann, Homer could not pass over in silence 40 sources.

Troy on the map of Turkey.

During the decisive battle, Achilles fled from the "terrible warrior" Hector, and for a certain time they "circled around the Priam fortress three times." Schliemann ran around Gissarlik with a stopwatch. He could not bypass Bunarbashi for two reasons: the first - there was a river on one side of the hill, the second - the slopes were cut by depressions, which prevented movement. It follows from the text of the Iliad that the Greeks, storming Troy, easily ran down the slopes of the hill three times. Bunarbashi has very steep slopes. Schliemann could only slide down them on all fours. At Hisarlik, the slopes are more gentle, you can move freely along them and conduct military operations on them.

Reconstruction of Troy.

Homer describes the city of Troy as a huge trading center with 62 buildings and huge walls and gates. According to Schliemann, such a city could not be located on the Bunarbashi hill, since the area of ​​​​this hill is too small - only 500 sq.m. The area of ​​Hissarlik is about 2.5 sq. km.

Schliemann read in the Iliad that the Greek soldiers who besieged Troy went to bathe in the sea. It is also clear from the text that the water at high tide came close to the city. This means that the hill on which the city was located should be as close as possible to the water. Bunarbashi Hill is 13 km from the sea, and Hisarlyk is near the shore.

Where is the treasure of the ruler of Troy Priam?

The treasure of the ruler of Troy, Priam, found by Schliemann 143 years ago, is 8700 gold items. Schliemann took the treasure out of Turkey in baskets under cabbages. He offered to buy it to the governments of France, England, then Russia. But they refused, fearing complications in relations with Turkey. Turkey accused Schliemann of smuggling, and he paid compensation - 50 thousand francs. Having failed to sell the treasures, Schliemann presented the Trojan treasure to Berlin in 1881, for which he was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city. In 1945, before the fall of Berlin, the Germans hid the treasure in the territory of the Berlin Zoo, from where it disappeared. In 1989, the widow of the director of the Berlin Museum, W. Unferzagg, published her husband's diaries, from which it followed that on May 1, 1945, he handed over the boxes with Schlimann's gold to the Soviet expert commission.

Many of the great discoveries in the history of mankind were made not by ascetic scientists, but by self-taught, successful adventurers who did not have academic knowledge, but were ready to go ahead to the goal.

“A little boy read the Iliad as a child Homer. Shocked by the work, he decided that by all means he would find Troy. Decades later Heinrich Schliemann kept his promise."

This beautiful legend about the history of one of the most significant archaeological discoveries has little to do with reality.

The man who discovered Troy to the world was sure of something else from an early age: sooner or later he would become rich and famous. Therefore, Heinrich Schliemann was very scrupulous about his biography, diligently excluding dubious episodes from it. Schliemann's "Autobiography" has as much to do with his real life as "Priam's Treasure" has with Homer's Troy.

Ernst Schliemann. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann was born on 6 January 1822 in Neubukow into a family that had been shopkeepers for centuries. Ernst Schliemann, Heinrich's father, got out of this row, becoming a pastor. But in the spiritual rank, Schliemann Sr. behaved indecently: after the death of his first wife, who bore him seven children, Ernst had an affair with a maid, because of which he was removed from his duties as a pastor.

Later, Ernst Schliemann completely rolled down the slope, gradually drinking himself. Heinrich, who had grown rich, did not have warm feelings for his parent, sent him barrels of wine as a gift, which, perhaps, hastened his father's transition to the best of worlds.

Citizen of the Russian Empire

By that time, Henry had not been in his home for a long time. Ernst Schliemann sent children to be raised by more wealthy relatives. Heinrich was raised by Uncle Friedrich and demonstrated a good memory and a desire to learn.

But at the age of 14, his studies ended, and Heinrich was sent to work in a shop. He got the most menial work, his working day lasted from 5 am to 11 am, which affected the health of the teenager. However, Henry's character was being forged at the same time.

Five years later, Heinrich went to Hamburg in search of a better life. In need, he wrote to his uncle asking for a small loan. Uncle sent money, but he described Heinrich to all his relatives as a beggar. The offended young man swore an oath never to ask his relatives for anything again.

Amsterdam in 1845. Drawing by Gerrit Lamberts. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

In 1841, the 19-year-old Schliemann reached Amsterdam, where he found a permanent job. In just four years, he went from a messenger to the head of a bureau with a large salary and a staff of 15 subordinates.

The young businessman was advised to continue his career in Russia, which was then considered a very promising place for business. Representing a Dutch company in Russia, Schliemann amassed a solid capital in a couple of years selling goods from Europe. His ability for languages, which manifested itself even in early childhood, made Schliemann an ideal partner for Russian merchants.

One of the few surviving photographs of E. P. Lyzhina. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Despite the fact that he managed to warm his hands on the California gold rush, Schliemann settled in Russia, having received citizenship of the country. And in 1852 Heinrich married daughter of a successful lawyer Ekaterina Lyzhina.

Passion for "Andrey Aristovich"

The Crimean War, unsuccessful for Russia, proved extremely profitable for Schliemann thanks to military orders.

Heinrich was called "Andrei Aristovich", his affairs were excellent, a son was born in the family.

But Schliemann, having achieved success in business, got bored. In April 1855, he began to study Modern Greek for the first time. His first teacher was St. Petersburg Theological Academy student Nikolai Pappadakis, who worked with Schliemann in the evenings according to his usual method: the “student” read aloud, the “teacher” listened, corrected pronunciation and explained unfamiliar words.

Along with the study of Greek came an interest in the literature of Ancient Greece, especially the Iliad. Heinrich tried to captivate his wife with this, but Catherine was negative about such things. She openly told her husband that their relationship was a mistake from the very beginning, because the interests of the spouses are very far from each other. Divorce, according to the laws of the Russian Empire, was an extremely difficult matter.

The first surviving photograph of Schliemann, sent to relatives in Mecklenburg. About 1861. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

When problems in business were added to the troubles in the family, Schliemann simply left Russia. This was not a complete break with the country and family: Heinrich returned several more times, and in 1863 he was transferred from Narva merchants to the St. Petersburg first guild of merchants. At the beginning of 1864, Schliemann received hereditary honorary citizenship, but did not want to stay in Russia.

"I'm sure I'll find Pergamon, the citadel of Troy"

In 1866, Schliemann arrived in Paris. The 44-year-old businessman is eager to revolutionize science, but first he considers it necessary to improve his knowledge.

Enrolling at the University of Paris, he paid for 8 courses of lectures, including on Egyptian philosophy and archeology, Greek philosophy, Greek literature. Without listening to the lectures in full, Schliemann went to the USA, where he dealt with business issues and got acquainted with various scientific works of antiquity.

In 1868, Schliemann, having visited Rome, became interested in excavations on the Palatine Hill. Looking at these works, he, as they say, “fired up”, deciding that archeology would glorify him throughout the world.

Frank Calvert in 1868 Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

After moving to Greece, he landed on the island of Ithaca, where he first began practical excavations, secretly hoping to find the palace of the legendary Odyssey.

Continuing his travels through the historical ruins of Greece, Schliemann reached the territory of the Troad, which at that moment was under Ottoman rule.

Here he met the British diplomat Frank Calvert, who had been excavating the Hisarlyk hill for several years. Calvert followed the hypothesis scientist Charles McLaren, who 40 years earlier announced that under the hill of Gissarlik are the ruins of Troy described by Homer.

Schliemann didn't just believe it, he got "sick" with the new idea. “In April next year, I will expose the entire Hisarlik hill, for I am sure that I will find Pergamon, the citadel of Troy,” he wrote to his relatives.

A new wife and the beginning of excavations

In March 1869, Schliemann arrived in the United States and applied for American citizenship. Here he actually fabricated a divorce from a Russian wife by presenting false documents to the court.

wedding photography. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Fascinated by Greece, Schliemann asked his friends to choose a Greek bride for him. In September 1869, the aspiring archaeologist married Sofia Engastromenu, daughters of Greek merchant Georgios Engastromenos, who was 30 years younger than the groom. At the time of the wedding, Sofia was only 17 years old, she honestly admitted that she obeyed the will of her parents. The husband did his best to educate her, took his wife to museums and exhibitions, trying to attract Sophia to her passion for archeology. The young wife became an obedient companion and assistant to Schliemann and bore him a daughter and a son, whom the father immersed in archeology named accordingly: Andromache And Agamemnon.

Having finished with the settlement of family affairs, Schliemann entered into a lengthy correspondence to obtain permission to excavate from the authorities of the Ottoman Empire. Unable to bear it, he began them without permission in April 1870, but was soon forced to stop work.

Real excavations began only in October 1871. Having recruited about a hundred workers, Schliemann resolutely set to work, but at the end of November he closed the season due to heavy rains.

In the spring of 1872, Schliemann, as he once promised, began to "uncover" Hissarlyk, but there were no results. Not that they didn't exist at all, but Schliemann was exclusively interested in Homeric Troy, that is, that he was ready to interpret it that way. The field season ended in vain, minor finds were handed over to the Ottoman Museum in Istanbul.

Plain of the Troad. View from Hissarlik. According to Schliemann, Agamemnon's camp was located on this site. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Brian Harrington Spier

"Priam's Treasure"

In 1873, Schliemann already publicly announced that he had found Troy. The ruins, excavated by May, he declared the legendary "Palace of Priam", which he reported to the press.

View of the Trojan excavations of Schliemann. 19th century engraving. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

On May 31, 1873, as Schliemann himself described, he noticed objects made of copper and announced a break for the workers in order to dig the treasure on his own with his wife. In reality, Schliemann's wife was not present at this event. From under the ancient wall, Schliemann dug out various objects of gold and silver with one knife.

In total, over the next three weeks, about 8,000 items were discovered, including jewelry, accessories for various rituals, and much more.

If Heinrich Schliemann had been a classical scientist, his discovery would hardly have been a big sensation. But he was an experienced businessman and knew a lot about advertising.

He, violating the excavation agreement, took his finds from the Ottoman Empire to Athens. As Schliemann himself explained, he did this in order to avoid looting. He put the women's jewelry discovered during excavations on a Greek wife, photographing her in this form. Pictures of Sophia Schliemann in these jewelry became a worldwide sensation, like the find itself.

A photograph of the "treasure of Priam" in its entirety, taken in 1873. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Schliemann confidently declared: he discovered the same Troy that Homer wrote about. The treasure he found is a treasure hidden King Priam or one of his associates at the time of the capture of the city. And they believed the self-taught archaeologist! Many still believe.

Sins and merit

Professional scientists have a lot of complaints about Schliemann. Firstly, as he promised, he literally “uncovered” Hissarlyk hill. From the point of view of modern archeology, this is a real vandalism.

Excavations should be carried out by gradually studying one cultural layer after another. There are nine such layers in Schlimann's Troy. However, the discoverer in the course of his work destroyed many of them, mixing with others.

Secondly, the “treasure of Priam” absolutely has nothing to do with Troy, described by Homer.

The treasure found by Schliemann belongs to the layer called "Troy II" - this is the period 2600-2300. BC e. Layer related to the period of "Homeric Troy" - "Troy VII-A". Schliemann passed through this layer during excavations, practically not paying attention to it. Later, he himself admitted this in his diaries.

Photograph of Sophia Schliemann in jewelry from the "treasure of Priam". About 1874. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

But, having mentioned the sins of Heinrich Schliemann, it must also be said that he did something useful. The sensation into which he turned his discovery gave a powerful impetus to the development of archeology in the world, provided an influx of not only new enthusiasts into this science, but, which is very important, financial resources.

In addition, when talking about Troy and the "treasure of Priam", they often forget about Schliemann's other discoveries. Continuing to stubbornly believe in the accuracy of the Iliad as a historical source, in 1876 Schliemann began excavations in Greek Mycenae in search of the grave of an ancient Greek hero Agamemnon. Here, the archaeologist, who gained experience, acted much more carefully, and discovered the Mycenaean civilization, unknown by that time, of the 2nd millennium BC. The discovery of the Mycenaean culture was not so spectacular, but from the point of view of science it was much more important than the finds in Troy.

However, Schliemann was true to himself: having discovered the tomb and the golden funeral mask, he announced that he had found the grave of Agamemnon. Therefore, the rarity he found today is known as the “mask of Agamemnon”.

Photo of summer excavations in Troy in 1890. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

"In death he is greeted by the Acropolis with the Parthenon"

Schliemann worked until the last days of his life, despite the rapidly deteriorating state of health. In 1890, he, neglecting the prescriptions of doctors, after the operation hastened to return to the excavations once again. A new aggravation of the disease led to the fact that he lost consciousness right on the street. Heinrich Schliemann died in Naples on December 26, 1890.

He was buried in Athens, in a specially built mausoleum, designed in the style of structures in which ancient heroes were buried. “In death, he is greeted by the Acropolis with the Parthenon, the columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the blue Saronic Gulf and, on the other side of the sea, the fragrant mountains of Argolis, beyond which lie Mycenae and Tiryns,” wrote the widow Sophia Schliemann.

Heinrich Schliemann dreamed of fame and worldwide fame and achieved his goal, in the eyes of his descendants, standing next to the heroes of Hellas.

Heinrich Schliemann- famous self-taught archaeologist. He spent his childhood in Ankershagen, where there were many stories about various treasures and there was an old castle with strong walls and mysterious passages. All this had a strong effect on the child's imagination. From the age of 8, after his father gave him the "World History for Children" with pictures and, by the way, with the image of Troy engulfed in flames, his dream was the discovery of Homeric Troy, in the existence of which he unshakably believed.

In 1866, Schliemann settled in Paris and from then on devoted himself to the study of archeology. Having visited the Ionian Islands in 1868, including Ithaca, then the Peloponnese and Athens, Schliemann went to Troad. Before excavating at the site of ancient Troy, it was necessary to decide where to look for it - whether it was where the Greco-Roman "New Ilion" was, that is, on a hill now called Hissarlik, or to the south, where the village of Bunarbati is now, near the Bali-Dag hill. Preliminary research convinced Schliemann that ancient Troy could only be located on Hissarlik. Upon receiving permission from the Turkish government, in the fall of 1871, he began excavations here, which he carried out with the assistance of his second wife Sophia for many years, exclusively at his own expense. Schliemann dug deep into Troy, destroying all cultural layers, but opening the Aegean culture. In the same year, Schliemann opened the so-called " big treasure" or "Priam's Treasure" (Priam is the king of Troy). The treasure consisted of bronze weapons, several silver ingots, a large number of vessels (copper, silver, gold) of various shapes and sizes, 2 magnificent diadems, a headband, about 8700 small gold things, several earrings, bracelets, 2 goblets, etc. Schliemann opened it with his own hand (to save it from being stolen by workers).

The result of these and subsequent investigations by Schliemann was the discovery of several settlements or cities on Hissarlik, which successively arose one after another. Schliemann numbered 7 of them, and he recognized 5 cities as prehistoric, the sixth - Lydian, and the seventh was Greco-Roman Ilion. Schliemann was convinced that he discovered Homer's Troy, and initially mistook for her third city ​​and then second(counting from the mainland), from which the ring wall with towers and gates is quite well preserved, the ruins of a building (opened later) - a palace with porticos, with two halves, male and female, with a hall and a hearth, the "large treasure" mentioned above, many vessels, often with a head, weapons, mostly bronze, etc. These are the so-called " Trojan antiquities, monuments Trojan culture". But this culture is much older than Homeric and even Mycenaean, and Schliemann fell into error, identifying this city with Homeric Troy. Homeric Troy turned out to be sixth a city explored after Schliemann's death.

Then Schliemann engaged in excavations at Mycenae, which led to even more amazing discoveries. He examined here the previously known ruins of the walls and the famous Lion Gate (the base of which was discovered by him) and discovered several domed graves similar to the "treasury of King Atreus". “Tholos” is a tomb that had a false vault (Schliemann called it “the treasury of Arteus” although nothing was found in it). Schliemann paid the main attention to the acropolis - the upper city, where the nobility lived. On August 7, 1876, he began excavations near the Lion's Gate, and soon discovered a rich culture, which has since been called Mycenaean- a circle of a double row or ring of stone slabs, an altar of a cyclopean construction, several stone stelae with images of scenes from military and hunting life, with spirals in the form of an ornament, and, finally, 5 shaft graves, with the bodies of the dead and with a mass of jewelry - golden masks on some of the dead, diadems, breastplates, bandages, plaques, rings with beautiful images of hunting and battles, bracelets, a variety of weapons, of which bronze swords with various images are especially noteworthy; with a mass of metal vessels, sometimes striking in their massiveness, earthenware, distinguished by lightness, with the image of bull heads, various kinds of animals, with a natural ostrich egg, with golden idols, and so on. Schliemann, in accordance with the law of the Greek kingdom, placed his finds at Mycenae at the disposal of the government and they are stored in Athens.

Then Schliemann excavated at Orchomenus (in Boeotia), with his famous "treasury of King Minius."

This was followed by his remarkable discoveries in Tiryns, as if supplementing the discoveries in Mycenae (1884). Shed light on the fortification system of Tiryns; on the network of galleries or chambers within its walls, and, most importantly, opened a large palace, with propylaea, porticos, an altar, with two halves - male and female (gynaecium), with a hall (megaron), where there was a hearth, with a bathhouse and with al fresco painting, an alabaster frieze, an ornament in the form of spirals and rosettes, clay idols, vessels, etc. All these are monuments of Mycenae epoch. Schliemann intended to excavate in Crete, at the site of ancient Knossos, the capital of Minos, but he failed to acquire the site on which the excavations were to take place.

In December 1890 he died in Naples. He was buried in Athens.

This semi-detective story took place at the end of the 19th century, when a merchant and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, whose birthday is 195 years old on January 6, discovered the ruins of the ancient city of Troy during excavations in Turkey. At that time, the events described by Homer were considered mythical, and Troy- the fruit of the poet's imagination. Therefore, evidence of the reality of artifacts of ancient Greek history discovered by Schliemann created a real sensation in the scientific world. However, most pundits called Schliemann a liar, an adventurer and a charlatan, and the "Priam's treasure" he found was a forgery.

Many facts of the biography of Heinrich Schliemann look implausible, many episodes were clearly embellished by him. So, Schliemann claimed that he swore to find Troy at the age of eight, when his father gave him a book with myths about Troy. From the age of 14, the teenager was forced to work in a grocery store. Then he worked in Amsterdam, studied languages, opened his own business. At the age of 24, he became a representative of a trading company in Russia. He did business so successfully that by the age of 30 he was already a millionaire. Schliemann founded his own company, began to invest in paper production. During the Crimean War, when blue uniforms were in high demand, Schliemann became a monopoly in the production of indigo dye, a natural blue dye. In addition, he supplied saltpeter, sulfur and lead to Russia, which also brought considerable income during the war.

His first wife was the niece of a wealthy Russian merchant, the daughter of a lawyer, Ekaterina Lyzhina. The wife did not share her husband's passion for travel, was not interested in his hobbies. In the end, the marriage broke up, while Lyzhina did not give him a divorce, and Schliemann divorced her in absentia, in the United States, where local laws allowed it. Since then, the path to Russia was closed to him, since here he was considered a bigamist.

With his second wife, Schliemann saw only a Greek woman, so he sent letters to all his Greek friends asking them to find him a bride "typically Greek in appearance, black-haired and, if possible, beautiful." And there was one - it was 17-year-old Sofia Engastromenos.

The archaeologist identified the excavation site according to the text of Homer's Iliad. However, the hill of Hissarlyk as the alleged site of the ancient city was discussed even before Schliemann, but it was his search that was crowned with success. The story of how the “treasure of Priam” was found in 1873 was invented by Schliemann himself. According to his version, he and his wife were at the excavations, and when they discovered the treasures, the wife wrapped them in her scarf (there were only 8700 gold items there!) And took them out secretly from the workers so that they would not plunder the treasure. At the same time, the exact date and exact location of the find were not reported. And later, Schliemann took the jewels out of Turkey, hiding them in vegetable baskets. As it turned out, the archaeologist's wife was not in Turkey at all at that time, and the famous photograph of Sophia with gold jewelry from the treasure found was taken later, already in Athens. There were no other witnesses to the discovery.

The jewels that Schliemann called the "treasure of Priam" actually belonged to a different era - a thousand years before Priam. The hoard turned out to be much older than the Mycenaean culture. However, this fact does not detract from the value of the find. There were rumors that the treasure was not complete and was collected over the years of excavations from different layers, or even bought in parts from antiquarians.

Schliemann really found Troy or some other ancient city that existed a thousand years before Priam. On Hisarlik, 9 strata belonging to different eras were found. In a hurry, Schliemann demolished the cultural layers lying above the city of Priam, without studying them in detail, and severely damaged the lower layers, which the scientific world could not forgive him for.

The archaeologist said that he would give the "treasures of Troy" to any country that agrees to establish a museum in his name. The Greeks, Americans, Italians and French rejected his proposal, in Russia no one wanted to hear about bigamy, but in Germany they accepted the Trojan treasure as a gift, but placed it not in the Schliemann Museum of Troy, which was never created, but in the Berlin Museum of Primitive and Ancient History.

In the modern world, the “Trojan War” is still going on for the right to possess the “treasure of Priam”. In 1945, the treasures were secretly taken from Germany to the USSR, and only in 1993 this fact was officially recognized. According to the law on restitution, the "treasures of Troy" were declared Russian property. At the same time, skeptics still express the opinion that there was no Troy on the Hissarlik hill, and the discovered medieval Ottoman settlement does not give grounds to call it Troy.

Caused no less controversy and