1822-1890

German Archaeologist and Businessman

Heinrich Schliemann, a self-educated German businessman turned archaeologist, unearthed the ruins of ancient Troy and other lost cities mentioned in the Iliad of Homer. This accomplishment stunned many who had not believed the cities existed at all, let alone that Schliemann would find them.

Schliemann was born in the Mecklenburg region of northern Germany in 1822. The son of an impoverished minister, he had little formal education before being compelled to leave school and earn a living. Yet from his father he inherited an interest in ancient history. He studied the Iliad and other classical literature, and eventually taught himself 18 languages.

Working his way up through the ranks of a trading company in Amsterdam, Schliemann became its representative in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1846. He imported sugar, coffee, and indigo for dye, and became a wealthy man before he was 30. He spent a...