Life before Troy:
Life before Troy:

On the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890)

Summary/Abstract: On January 6, 1822, Heinrich Schliemann was born: a self-taught archaeologist who found the legendary city of Troy and the so-called «Priam’s treasure», the founder of Mycenaean archeology, polyglot and a self-made man. But what do we know about the early years of Schliemann’s life? What is the life path of an unknown German boy, whose name will thunder throughout the world in the 70–90s of the 19th century? Starting from the childhood years of his life, and progressing further in chronological order, the article briefly tells about Schliemann’s youth, the formation of his commercial talent, a long and eventful period of residence in Russia. Schliemann arrived in Russia when he was 24 and remained a citizen of that country until he was 44. In my opinion, it was here, in Russia, that Schliemann not only achieved a high position in society and became a millionaire, but it was the Russian cultural environment that gave Schliemann the idea of searching for Troy. This is where the dream of Troy begins. And a little closer attention in the article is paid to Schliemann’s first wife Catherine and the difficult relationship between spouses, since, unfortunately, this aspect of Schliemann’s life is often studied superficially or is completely overlooked.

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