Schliemann, Heinrich

Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) was a German archaeologist best known for his discoveries related to ancient Troy. He believed the city described in Homer's epics, the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey," was real and set out to prove it. In the 1870s, he excavated in modern-day Turkey, finding ruins that he claimed were the remnants of Troy. Schliemann's work laid the groundwork for archaeology as a scientific discipline, although his methods were often criticized for being unscientific and destructive. His findings sparked interest in ancient civilizations and opened the door to further archaeological research in the region.