Cambridge Library Collection - Archaeology
10 total works
Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) published Mycenae, an account of his archaeological excavations of the ancient Greek cities of Mycenae and Tiryns, in 1878. Schliemann's astonishing finds revealed that the cities had a historical reality outside Homeric epic. His excavations uncovered many priceless treasures, most famously the 'death mask of Agamemnon' and the shaft graves, filled with pottery, carved stones, skeletons, gold, jewellery and weaponry. He also uncovered much about the layout and architecture of the two lost cities. The volume is generously illustrated with images of artefacts, maps and charts. It is introduced by W. E. Gladstone, who gave Schliemann the political assistance necessary for the excavations to take place. Schliemann's discoveries were met with wild enthusiasm, and while today his methods of excavation are deplored and many of his conclusions thought to be ill-founded, he is rightly credited with the discovery of the lost and ancient Mycenaean civilisation.
Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) was a successful businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the site of the ancient city of Troy. This work in English, 'translated by the author's sanction' in 1875, describes his excavations at the ancient mound of Hissarlik in Turkey, which revealed the remains of not just one but several substantial, superimposed ancient settlements, the earliest of which dates back to 4500 BCE. Schliemann himself was convinced that he had located Troy, and the spectacular golden treasure which he unearthed made his discovery famous around the world. However, the crudeness of his excavating techniques was criticised by contemporary archaeologists, and later work on the site has led to the conclusion that the treasure is in fact from a much earlier settlement than Homeric Troy. Schliemann's achievement was nevertheless extraordinary, and this first-hand account of his discoveries makes compelling reading.
In the winter of 1880–1881, the wealthy German businessman and self-taught archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) embarked on a new project, to excavate the 'Treasury of Minyas' at Orchomenos. He was accompanied by his wife and by the distinguished Oxford Assyriologist A. H. Sayce. This book, published in 1881, begins with a vivid description of the journey from Athens to Orchomenos, through gorges and swamps, and across mountain passes. Schliemann mentions earlier attempts to excavate the 'treasury' (actually a Mycenaean beehive tomb), the difficulty of the terrain, and how he engaged over 100 local people to assist in the removal of earth and stones from a large area. He lists pottery, artefacts and stone implements, and gives detailed measurements of walls, towers and gates. The book includes drawings of sculpted decorations including rosettes and spirals, and the texts of classical Greek inscriptions found at Orchomenos and at nearby Copae.
Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) was a businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the legendary city of Troy. Inspired by his belief in the veracity of the Homeric poems, Schliemann turned his attention to uncovering other cities mentioned in the Iliad. This volume provides an account in German of his excavations in 1884–1885 at Tiryns, a major Bronze Age city and centre of Mycenaean civilisation. These revealed a palace complex at the site, which was the most complete example of its kind until Evans' excavation of Knossos: examples of Minoan art found at Tiryns were the first demonstration of Mycenaean contact with the Minoan culture of Crete. The topography and history of the site and its artefacts are described, together with detailed discussion of the palace, and a description of Schliemann's controversial excavation methods. This volume remains an important source for the historiography of archaeology.
Bericht Über die Ausgrabungen in Troja im Jahre 1890
by Heinrich Schliemann
Published 31 October 2010
Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) was a businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the site of the ancient city of Troy. This short book, published posthumously in 1891, begins with a vigorous polemic in which Schliemann defends himself and Wilhelm Dörpfeld against allegations by Ernst Boetticher, who persistently claimed they had falsified the evidence from Hissarlik and that 'Troy' was in fact a cremation site with ovens, rather than a settlement. The book goes on to describe the pottery of different periods exposed by a river cutting through the site. Schliemann then describes a newly excavated area that had not been razed by the Romans prior to rebuilding and gives detailed accounts of pottery, artefacts and defensive works found there, and the texts of a number of inscriptions. A final section by Dörpfeld, completed two days before Schliemann's untimely death, describes the buildings in more detail.
Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) was a successful businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the site of the ancient city of Troy. In this 1874 work, written in the style of a diary, Schliemann describes his excavations at Hissarlik in Turkey, which revealed the remains of not just one but several substantial, superimposed ancient settlements, the earliest of which dates back to 4500 BCE. Schliemann himself was convinced that he had located Troy, and the spectacular golden treasure which he unearthed made his discovery famous around the world. Although his excavating techniques were crude, and later work on the site has led to the conclusion that the treasure dates from a much earlier settlement than Homeric Troy, Schliemann's achievement was extraordinary and his account makes compelling reading. This book was translated into English in 1875 as Troy and Its Remains, also reissued in this series.
Where is Troy? For Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) the search for its exact location became a consuming passion. In 1869, when this book was first published, the existence of a real - as opposed to mythical - Troy was still disputed. The wealthy German businessman, linguist and speculator journeyed to Greece and Asia Minor in order to undertake excavations well before archaeology developed into a modern, scientific profession. This book describes his first expedition in 1868 to Corfu, Cephalonia, the Peloponnese and Ithaca. Schliemann was convinced that the mound of Hissarlik in Turkey was the site of Troy, and the golden artifacts of his 'treasury of Priam' persuaded the public of its historicity, though his destructive methods of excavation caused extensive damage to the site. Schliemann returned to Troy several times during the course of his career and published further books (also reissued in this series) about his discoveries.
Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) was a businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the site of the ancient city of Troy. First published in 1880, this volume contains an account of Schliemann's second excavation at Troy in 1878-1879 and places his earlier discoveries from the excavations of 1871-1873 in context with his more recent work. Schliemann provides a detailed description and the earliest interpretation of the seven settlement phases on the site, with over 1,000 illustrations showing details of the architecture he uncovered. He also describes his controversial methods of excavation, recounting some of the monumental buildings he destroyed to reach the earlier settlement phases of the city. Schliemann's discovery of Troy was met with great enthusiasm; it also created a furious debate over the validity of viewing classical epics as historical fact. This volume remains an important source for the historiography of archaeology.