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Heinrich Schliemann |
The epics “Iliad” and “Odyssey” are monumental literary works of ancient Greece, composed by the brilliant mind of a blind poet named Homer. Approximately 3000 years later, a German merchant named Heinrich Schliemann, inspired by these two epic tales, excavated the ruins of Troy, buried deep underground for over 2000 years, and discovered “Priam’s Treasure” in the northeastern part of the Asia Minor peninsula. This German merchant also uncovered the royal tomb of Mycenae in a valley on the Borobennisa peninsula, revealing a treasure buried for 3000 years, allowing these artifacts to once again see the light of day.
In northern Germany, in a small town called Mekhbaobang, there was a poor pastor. One day in 1832, he gifted 10-year-old Schliemann a world history atlas compiled by Yeleer as a birthday present. The boy was thrilled with this birthday gift. Schliemann was an eager learner, but due to his family’s poverty, he had to leave school at 14 to work as a laborer in a grocery store. Throughout his teenage and young adult years, he struggled to make a living.
In 1856, Heinrich Schliemann began studying modern Greek and ancient Greek. With his exceptional intelligence, he learned quickly. Within a month and a half, he mastered modern Greek, and after two additional months, he studied ancient Greek. Once he grasped the poetic structures in Homer’s epics, Schliemann had a grand vision: he decided to excavate a fort mentioned in the epics. In the spring of 1869, he embarked on this monumental dream.
According to Homer’s description, near Troy there were two underground springs: “One was a hot spring, steam rising thickly like a hot smoke screen; the other was the opposite, its water icy cold even in summer.”
In April 1870, Schliemann received permission from Turkish officials to excavate the site. He began digging at the buried Troy site on Mount Hissarlik, hoping to revive the ancient civilization of Troy.
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Schliemann begins excavating Troy |
The excavation commenced in January 1871 and lasted for 3 to 4 years, frequently interrupted. In mid-March 1873, Heinrich Schliemann conducted a large excavation in the northern area of Mount Hissarlik. This time, he felt somewhat disappointed because the ruins were smaller than he had imagined based on Homer’s descriptions of the grandeur of Troy. However, he also considered that as a poet, Homer must have exaggerated events significantly. Perhaps this was why in three excavations, he had not found a single gold ingot or any golden artifacts.
One morning (the day before June 15), under the gentle sunlight, Schliemann and his wife stood beside an ancient city wall at a depth of 29 feet. Suddenly, he spotted a green bronze object lying beneath the wall. As he approached, he discovered something behind the bronze that sparkled like gold. Schliemann called his wife over and whispered in her ear, “Tell the workers to take a break and come quickly.”
After dismissing the workers, Schliemann carefully used a knife to pry away the dirt surrounding the bronze object. Finally, the gleaming light of gold and ivory emerged from the earth. His wife removed her red shawl to wrap each treasure. Among these treasures, the most valuable were two exquisite gold crowns, captivating from the first glance. The larger crown was composed of 1784 pieces of gold, beautifully crafted. Surrounding it were 75 short chains and 18 long chains, each made of gold pieces shaped like almond slices. The short chains hung down before the wearer’s forehead,
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Gold artifacts excavated from Troy |
while the longer ones cascaded down the wearer’s shoulders. The face of the crowned individual was surrounded by the shimmering light of gold. The second crown resembled the first but had chains attached to the ends of the gold leaves, with the back chain relatively short, covering only two buns of hair. The craftsmanship of these two crowns was intricate and perfect. Additionally, Schliemann unearthed 7 gold rings, 2 gold cups, 3 agate cups, 4 large gold boxes containing 65 earrings, and 8600 small silver cups; there were also engraved prisms, buttons, gold ingots, and small objects crafted from ceramics, silver vases, bronze, weapons, and weights.
Until his death, Schliemann believed that these treasures belonged to King Priam of Troy. Indeed, this was Troy, the palace of King Priam, and the treasure described by Homer. No reasoning could shake Schliemann’s conviction. He believed that all the items he held were the jewelry of Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, who caused the destruction of Troy in an instant.
Three years after Schliemann’s death, his theories and conclusions were challenged by archaeologists. They discovered that the rightful owner of the treasures was King Bipriamne, who lived 1,500 years earlier.
Although Schliemann’s conclusions were flawed, his discoveries remain invaluable and are celebrated by posterity. His assistants and successors, with unwavering faith and tireless effort, excavated all of Troy as described by Homer, totaling six cities. However, the primary and greatest credit for allowing Troy to once again bask in sunlight belongs to Heinrich Schliemann – a man with unshakable faith in the works of the great Homer.
Before excavating Troy, Schliemann considered excavating Mycenae, located in the northeastern part of the Borobennisa peninsula. Being well-versed in and fond of Homer’s epics, he often noted that when Homer described Mycenae, he used phrases like “abundant gold”, “golden in color,” and “prosperous and thriving”… Under Homer’s pen, if Troy was very wealthy, then Mycenae was even wealthier.
In August 1876, Schliemann arrived at a secluded valley on the Borobennisa peninsula. At the western peak of the mountain, a wall was constructed from massive stones, with a large gateway in the middle, adorned with two imposing lions; this is the famous Lion Gate.
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This golden mask is believed to be a Trojan war artifact. According to legend, King Agamemnon of Mycenae was also the commander of the Greek forces during the Trojan War. |
Here, archaeologists have repeatedly searched for the tomb of King Agamemnon. Based on subjective interpretations, they carelessly interpreted the writings of Greek historians from the 2nd century BC. Despite lacking any solid foundation, they confidently claimed that King Agamemnon’s tomb lay outside the city walls. Meanwhile, Schliemann relied on historical records to deduce that the tomb of this king, along with three companions, was located inside the city walls, not outside.
Schliemann began excavating the area around the Lion Gate on September 7, 1876. Shortly thereafter, preliminary results proved that his chosen path was correct. In a place 50 feet from the Lion Gate, not far from the One-Eyed Giant’s wall, they dug a deep pit 90 feet long and 15 feet wide.
Beneath the pit lay a circle formed by flat stones, with a diameter of 90 feet. The earth within the circle had been leveled, and in this flat area lay a stone that appeared to be a grave marker. The relief on the stone was heavily damaged, making it difficult to ascertain whether it was indeed a tomb.
From that point on, the valley of the Borobennisa peninsula became the center of global attention.
The Schliemanns excavated a total of 5 tombs, discovering a sixth in Sitamasaji. All of these tombs were located within circles formed by stone slabs. In fact, that circle was also a tomb, considered a public cemetery, something that no one knew before Schliemann.
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Sophia Schliemann |
The square-shaped tombs are all similar in depth and size. In the burial pit of these six tombs, 20 individuals were interred, including men, women, and even children. Most of the bodies were adorned with gold jewelry. The faces of the men were covered with gold masks, and one man even wore a gold helmet. Two children were wrapped in gold sheets. Next to the male corpse were items such as knives, swords, and a gold cup. Beside the female corpse were boxes containing gold jewelry and various types of pins and hair accessories, with gold pieces also decorating her clothing. In addition to the valuable gold artifacts found in the tomb, other treasures here are also of great value, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship that is unique.
Among these treasures are two dagger handles inlaid with gold, depicting scenes of rivers and lush reeds, with clear waters shimmering, and a wild cat startling nearby ducks, causing them to flap their wings and shatter the quiet atmosphere.
The treasures unearthed increased with each excavation, bringing great joy to Schliemann. These successes garnered worldwide attention. Almost daily, he had articles published about the excavation site in newspapers. He firmly believed that the bodies he unearthed were the remains of heroes who fought in the Trojan War.
At that time, Schliemann was not alone; even scholars and archaeologists who had previously been skeptical acknowledged that this German merchant, though lacking in formal education, grasped the essence of truth and had an extraordinary destiny. After examining the treasures found in the tombs, they concluded that these items were closely related to the descriptions made by Homer. For instance, the oval shield or the cups described in Homer’s epic: “The old cunning one involved in the Trojan War, Lanistuer, poured Prammi wine into a gold cup for Maku and himself. This gold cup has four handles, each supported by two pillars, and the top of each handle is adorned with two pigeons. Most similar is the wild boar helmet with exposed fangs.” Or: “Hlidlis placed the leather helmet on Edxins’ head; inside the helmet were tightly woven leather cords, with a soft hat made of felt underneath, and the outer edges of the helmet were beautifully decorated with two rows of ivory teeth.” Schliemann discovered 60 wild boar teeth in the tomb, all evenly cut and drilled with two holes, which were certainly meant to connect to another item and serve as protection in battle.
Schliemann always kept in mind that the world he discovered was the world seen through Homer’s eyes – the world of the “Iliad – Odyssey”. However, it is unfortunate that Schliemann’s conclusions were incorrect; he believed in Homer and pursued this belief tirelessly, leading him to find the tomb of Agamemnon. In reality, the tombs dated back 500 years earlier than he thought, approximately between 1600-1500 BC.
Later, as people learned more about Mycenaean culture, it was concluded that the tomb Schliemann discovered was not from the same period but spanned over 1,000 years. They confirmed it was a royal burial site, possibly belonging to a member of a dynasty. Agamemnon was likely buried in a round-shaped tomb resembling a beehive in a valley. They speculated Agamemnon must have been laid to rest in a grand tomb, thus “The Treasure of Atreus” was once considered to be Agamemnon’s tomb.
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Map of Troy |
In 1921, under the direction of Professor Viesu, during the excavation of Mycenae, archaeologists discovered a prehistoric public cemetery (the tombs discovered by Schliemann are a part of this public cemetery) extending beyond the walls of the Cyclopean and west of the Lion Gate. Between 1600-1500 BC, princes and princesses of the royal family were buried in the cemetery, which currently lies within the walls. This royal family seems to have belonged to the same dynasty. The peak period of Mycenae was marked by the construction of the Cyclopean walls of Andao and the Lion Gate. During this time, they used stone slabs to cover the tombs of previous royals, erected gravestones within the circular area, and constructed round altars resembling wells, allowing the fresh blood of sacrificed animals to flow directly into the burial grounds of the heroes.
The issue seemed resolved, but not entirely, as there remain arguments that both support and challenge Schliemann’s theories. For example, the oval shield, the wild boar helmet, and the gold cups found here lend credence to his claims. Nevertheless, many aspects of Mycenaean life do not entirely align with Homer’s descriptions. Thus, for nearly a century, scholars Ajilansi and Hekthuer have continued to debate who the treasures truly belong to and which conclusion is accurate.
