Heinrich Schliemann and the Discovery of Troy
HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN AND THE DISCOVERY OF TROY
“So fight by the ships, all together. And that comrade Who meets his death and destiny, speared or stabbed, Let him die! He dies fighting for the fatherland- No dishonor there!
He’ll leave behind him wife and sons unscathed, His house and estate unharmed- once these Argives Sail for home, the fatherland they love.”
–The Iliad Book 15 lines 574-580, by Homer
Today, on the plains of Western Anatolia lies the site of one of the most well known and prosperous cities of ancient times, Troy. The city in which the so-called blind poet, Homer, lived; the city that was ambushed by a large wooden horse; the city with so many ancient tales and legends. Yet it seemed before 1871, these stories and legends were purely fictional. It was a young German man who set out to find Troy for himself. This man was Heinrich Schliemann, a brilliant archaeologist and discoverer of Troy.
In the early ages of western civilization, around 800 B.C. a man named Homer started the enduring legacy of Troy. Although the dates are not exactly clear of which Homer lived, and who he actually was as a person, he is credited of writing two famous ancient epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad described the events of the Trojan War, and is simply an epic tale that contains over 15,000 lines. For the past 2,500 years this epic has been read globally. The Iliad provided themes, motifs, and archetypical characters that are still present in literature today, proving Homer a literary genius for his time (Loutro). Homer’s epics were recognized across the globe as great literary works, however due to the presence of Olympian gods as well as fantastical creatures and supernatural events in the texts, these works were assumed by scholars to be fictional tales rather than history. Few people believed Homer ever existed, nonetheless the Trojan War occurred, but they would be convinced otherwise due to one man, Heinrich Schliemann, who
“So fight by the ships, all together. And that comrade Who meets his death and destiny, speared or stabbed, Let him die! He dies fighting for the fatherland- No dishonor there!
He’ll leave behind him wife and sons unscathed, His house and estate unharmed- once these Argives Sail for home, the fatherland they love.”
–The Iliad Book 15 lines 574-580, by Homer
Today, on the plains of Western Anatolia lies the site of one of the most well known and prosperous cities of ancient times, Troy. The city in which the so-called blind poet, Homer, lived; the city that was ambushed by a large wooden horse; the city with so many ancient tales and legends. Yet it seemed before 1871, these stories and legends were purely fictional. It was a young German man who set out to find Troy for himself. This man was Heinrich Schliemann, a brilliant archaeologist and discoverer of Troy.
In the early ages of western civilization, around 800 B.C. a man named Homer started the enduring legacy of Troy. Although the dates are not exactly clear of which Homer lived, and who he actually was as a person, he is credited of writing two famous ancient epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad described the events of the Trojan War, and is simply an epic tale that contains over 15,000 lines. For the past 2,500 years this epic has been read globally. The Iliad provided themes, motifs, and archetypical characters that are still present in literature today, proving Homer a literary genius for his time (Loutro). Homer’s epics were recognized across the globe as great literary works, however due to the presence of Olympian gods as well as fantastical creatures and supernatural events in the texts, these works were assumed by scholars to be fictional tales rather than history. Few people believed Homer ever existed, nonetheless the Trojan War occurred, but they would be convinced otherwise due to one man, Heinrich Schliemann, who