What was he? Henry Slieman; Merchant, gold digger or archaeologist? A persistent archaeologist and amateur archaeologist or a talented adventurer? Pioneer or destroyer? Two hundred years after his birth, the exhibition of the Museum of Prehistory and Prehistory, “The worlds of Schliemann. His life. His discoveries. His legend“, Gives the answer early: Eric Schliemann was all that and so much more.
And his life is at least as interesting as his work. As for his legend? It is felt from the first exhibit housed today in the James Simon Gallery and the adjacent Neues Museum in Berlin.
The exhibition highlights on the one hand the huge archeological work of Schliemann, exposing findings from his excavations, and on the other the protagonist himself, the many aspects of an emblematic historical figure, his journey through travels, countries, languages ​​he knew and mainly through his worship of the ancient culture of the Mediterranean. However, the exhibition also highlights the charm that the German archaeologist still has to this day.
For some he is the one who opened new avenues in archeology, when he almost obsessively relied on Homer’s Iliad in order to search for monuments, considering that the poet’s epics were not just fascinating narratives, but reality.
For others, the “wild” excavations and the weak scientific approach cost significant parts of archeological sites. As the Director of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens Anna – Vasiliki Karapanagioti pointed out during the press conference given for the exhibition, many Greek archaeologists accept the work of Slieman, but believe that behind his great discoveries in Mycenae was Panagiotis Stamatakis, the man who is considered to have given scientific substance to the “naughty” excavation of the German. Mrs. Karapanagioti, however, describes Eric Schliemann more or less as an “Indiana Jones” of the time, who lived in a way that even today seems unthinkable.
The exhibition, which opens today and will last until November 6, presents more than 700 items, including many international loans, such as. from the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and the Municipal Gallery of Larissa – GI Museum Katsigra, with the aim of enlightening the enigmatic and controversial protagonist together with the spectacular findings before he even reaches archeology – even the critique of his methods.
The fact that Eric Schliemann was born into a poor Neubukov family near Rostock did not prove capable of limiting his dreams and activities. His love of archeology was born, according to him, when at the age of seven he read Georg Ludwig’s World History for Children and was enchanted by the engraving with Troy in the flames. Then – at least according to urban legend – he decided he wanted to dig and find Troy. Previously, however, he had to acquire the means and resources. His commercial activity brought him to the Netherlands, France and Britain, then to the USA, India, China, Japan and brought him great wealth.
Returning to Europe, he devoted himself to his great passion, the study of antiquity, initially at the Sorbonne. He arrived in Greece and Turkey following in the footsteps of Homer.
Schliemann is best known as the man who discovered Troy, but according to Matthias Vemhoff, director of the Museum of Prehistory and Prehistory and leader of the project, he was much more than that: a businessman, a cosmopolitan, a writer. “The fact that Schliemann is considered a treasure hunter is due to the fact that he has twice had incredible success and luck, but this label is not enough to describe him,” Vimhoff added.
The exhibition is hosted in two sections. The “James Simon” Gallery presents the first half of Sliman’s life – clothes, personal items, notes, records, furniture, souvenirs from his travels, and even a “notebook” with accounts. The New Museum focuses on the archeological work and the findings from the royal tombs in Mycenae and the Trojan Collection. The famous “Schliemann moat”, which was created when the archaeologist, impatient and inexperienced, excavated a large area at a depth of 17 meters, in order to find Troy, destroying a large part of the archeological site, is not even among the curators of the exhibition.
His discoveries, however, proved capable of creating the myth he later covered up and his mistakes. The so-called “Priam Treasure” consists of 10,000 objects, some of which are included in the exhibition. In Greece, in search of ancient heroes, Slieman explored the Aegean, and finally in 1876 he discovered the royal tombs in Mycenae, the “Treasure of Minya” in Orchomenos and the ruins of the palace in Tiryns.
Deputy Minister of Culture Claudia Roth: “Important expression of the wonderful Greek-German friendship – There are times when the Germans have to work hard enough”
The Berlin State Museums held a great – and rather belated – honor for Eric Schliemann. Germany was wary of his work and was slow to recognize him. In the “Museum Island” of the German capital, the room was full yesterday. Undersecretary of State for Culture and Sports Claudia Roth enthusiastically referred to the German archaeologist as a 19th-century “pop star” and thanked Greek museums for their “so generous” support of the exhibition. which, he pointed out, “is neither self-evident nor easy.” “Bring a piece of Greece to Berlin,” Roth added, describing the exhibition as “a beautiful and important expression of the wonderful Greek-German friendship and close cultural ties between the two countries.” Culture, he continued, “has always been – in some difficult times – an important link in Greek-German relations and – there are times here when we Germans still have to work hard enough to further strengthen this friendship.” In today’s world, he concluded, “where our common values ​​are attacked and challenged, culture is also an important link to democracy.” Eric Slieman himself, he said characteristically, would be particularly happy for this collaboration, which, in part, is his legacy.
Υπ. Of Culture Lina Mendoni: “The work of the curators of the exhibition is exemplary”
In her videotaped message, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni highlighted the fact that “very few people in archeology have enjoyed so much fame and recognition in their lifetime and at the same time have been so severely criticized for their methods and principles or have been the subject of so much intense controversy over their personal motives and intentions “as much as Eric Schliemann described the German archaeologist as” a really interesting personality (…) with great talent, passion, values, dedication and dedication to his visions and a fascinating novel life “. His vision was to find material evidence for the historicity of Homer’s works, as in his time, the Iliad and the Odyssey were considered mere epic poems, while archeology was not yet an established science, the minister explained, stressing that “achievements and failures must be considered in the circumstances of their time “. Addressing the curators of the exhibition, she congratulated them for their “exemplary” work and the museologically coherent and narratively tempting presentation of the material.
Small… Slieman
The pedagogical dimension of the exhibition was highlighted by the students of the 6th Elementary School of the “Heinrich-Schliemann” school, who presented a short theatrical representation of Sliemann’s action, but also of the entry of the Trojan Horse into Troy. Students are given a weekly tour of the exhibition by their peers and family members. Throughout the operation of the exhibition, the “James Simon” Gallery and the New Museum will also offer a special program for children.
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