Excavation of Troy Flashcards
Who was Heinrich Schliemann?
1822-1890
German-American adventurer
Got book of Greek legends age 7 and was fascinated with Greek Gods and Trojan War
He promised his father (a clergyman) that one day he would find Troy and prove it to the world
How did Schliemann grow up?
Poor household
Grocers boy with poor pay age 14, gave up when he became ill
Then cabin boy on a ship, ship wreck off Holland coast
Learnt foreign languages in Amsterdam (Holland)
Spoke Dutch, French, English, Spanish and more
How did Schliemann make his money?
Worked in Russia
Then crossed to America 1850s
Made fortune buying and selling
Age 41, made enough to retire and do ARCHAEOLOGY!
How did Schliemann set about finding Troy?
Read Homer’s ILIAD and Homer’s poems
Heard about English man, Frank Calvert who believed Troy lay under soil of hill called HISSARLIK
in NW Asia Minor (now Turkey)
1870-73, excavated site with 100 local workmen
What did Scliemann find at Hissarlik?
He uncovered pottery fragments and walls
More walls under walls
Concluded cities had been built on top of another
(If city destroyed, they flattened the ruins and built another city)
What was archaeology like in 19th century?
Only just starting as a science
Up to now, treasure hunters and explorers would just see what they could find
Sites were robbed and looted with no concerns for the history
Early ‘archaeologists’ did more damage than good
What did Schliemann’s discoveries indicate?
He uncovered layers of 9 different occupations
Discovered artefacts from as far back as 3000BC
Found “Treasure of Priam” but actually it was from 1000years earlier than he thought
This treasure included cups, plates, necklaces, bangles and more than 8000 gold rings
Who came to help Schliemann?
William Doerpfeld joined Schliemann in 1882
Doerpfeld continued excavation after Schlieman died
He proved Schliemanns treasure discovery was earlier than Trojan War
Doerpfeld identified 9 layers of the city
He labelled layers with Roman numerals I-IX
He found Bronze Age ruins eg daggers
Who was the third major archaeologist excavating Troy?
Carl Blegen in 1932
American, found pottery dating back to 1250BC
He found evidence of burning in city and seige
He determined that Troy VIIa was likely time of war
Who came in as 4th major arcaeologist?
50 years later……
Manfred Korfmann
team from German and American Universities
He found harbour of Troy and
Mycean cemetry at Besik Bay
Found fences and ditches around the city to keep enemies out
He registered Troy as World Heritage site to protect it forever
