The Schliemann Shenanigan By Grace Touma The archaeologist Heinrich Schliemanns treasure-hunting ventures have marked him as something

of a hero in the eyes of history, for his discovery of Homers Troy in Hissarlik, Turkey. In fact, Schliemann was anything but a hero, leaving a trail of villainous deeds in his wake, simply for personal gain. From a young age, Schliemann had always believed in the existence of the mythological Troy and the Trojan War and it was due to this obsession that he traipsed halfway around the world to chase his dream - his dream of fame and fortune. The dream itself possessed him and drove him to search through the ancient texts in order to find something anything to go on. He finally decided on the site of Hissarlik in Turkey. Like a madman, Schliemann refused to heed or deal with anything that did not bring to glory or support his dreams and goals. Upon receiving permission to dig in Turkey he was given a set of terms which were understandable under the circumstances. They were: 1.) any finds were to be divided with half going to the Turkish Archaeological Museum, 2.) the ruins uncovered were to be left in the state they had been found, 3.) existing structures could not be demolished and 4.) the dig was to be financed by Schliemann. Turning a deaf ear to the Turkish government, Schliemann only followed the last term, robbing the Turks of their artefacts and destroying evidence to support the presence of Troy in the process. During the excavation of Troy, Schliemann was heedless and rushed. In 1868 he began his archaeological ventures and to quote Archaeological Expert from here on, Schliemann's life reeked of trickery, greed, deception and delusion. Schliemann quickly found many caches full of treasure - the supposed Palace of Odysseus as well as a valuable relief of Apollo. Despite his promises to the Turkish government, Schliemanns greed got the better of him and in an unprofessional display of true thievery he smuggled the treasures out of the country and even to the garden of his own home. Schliemanns greed was not to temporary - it seems to be his defining trait throughout his excavations at Hissarlik. It peaked when Schliemann found the Scaean Gates. He speedily dismissed the excavation staff only trusting his wife to be

privy to his devious deeds. Together they unearthed golden cups, silver goblets, daggers, lances, shields and pottery. His horde of treasure was smuggled from the site and hidden at the British Consuls house, and on the 6th of June 1873 a Greek ship carried the treasure to Greece where it was stored at Schliemanns house. His actions were dishonourable and utterly devoid of the historical awareness expected of archaeologists in the 19th century. Instead, it is seen with unerring clarity that Schliemanns interests are purely selfish his view on his project one of looting instead of careful excavation and conservation. His reckless destruction of one of Troys walls is a perfect example of this. The treasure was then smuggled from country to country, going temporarily missing during the second World War, only to pop up in Russia once the chaos had died down sufficiently. Conveniently for Schliemann, Russia was his second home he was an honorary citizen, knew the language, had married a Russian woman and most of his motivation came from his work in Russia and his Russian family. Schliemanns inability to heed the Turkish governments instructions and his mixed loyalties led to a worldwide feud over the true ownership of the treasures between Turkey, Russia, Germany and the heirs of Frank Calvert. Overall, what could have turned out as the excavation or archaeological find of the century, turned into a shenanigan led by Heinrich Schliemann - a madman with an obsession and a total disregard for history.