American archaeologist Carl Blegen once said, “To Heinrich Schliemann must be awarded full credit for... arousing immense interest in Homer and archaeology...” [Discentes] Heinrich Schliemann is a name often associated with questionable archaeological methods and a flair for the dramatic, but despite some of these controversies, Schliemann played a significant role in the advancement of archeology, as explored in the following Blegen quote. Schliemann was a businessman, an author, and a pioneer in the field. Looking at his upbringing and early career, discoveries as an archaeologist, and the controversies surrounding his work help emphasize why his work is still important to study and how it has shaped modern-day archaeology. Later in life, Heinrich…show more content… This would have effects later in his career, separating him and the more educated archeologists. Throughout his life, Schliemann worked many jobs, which slowly led to his future career as an archaeologist. His first, at age 14, was in a grocer’s shop where he worked for several years. Schliemann claims this was where he first heard Homer in Greek, though scholars are unsure if this is true due to other fabricated or exaggerated stories. This fascination with Homer would later lead him to search for Troy, but not until after retiring. After being a grocer, Schliemann then became a cabin boy, with some of the first of many of his travels across the globe, in this case, Hamburg to Venezuela. Some of his other jobs in the following years include being a bookkeeper in Amsterdam, founding a business on indigo trade in St. Petersburg, and a being military contractor during the Crimean War. During these roles, Schliemann learned different languages like Russian and ancient and modern Greek, though later 12 languages were found in his travel
