Raffael Maestri

Ancient History essay:

Assess the significance of Schliemann’s excavation at Troy upon the development of ancient history.

Schliemann’s excavation at Troy is regarded as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of ancient history. However, when looking at the significance of this excavation in relation to the development of ancient history it is also important to look at his overall contribution to ancient history, taking note of his other archaeological discoveries at the same time.  Today opinion is divided between those who think he was one of the great pioneers of modern archaeology and those who portray him as a liar and a dis-honest person, questioning the accuracy and significance of his excavations.  However the issue of his lies and honesty is irrelevant in assessing the significance of his excavations.  Schliemann has also been criticized for his excavation techniques which are considered primitive and amateurish, however he was still able to distinguish between the various levels at which each new city had been built on.  His lack of experience in this regard does not affect the significance of his excavation upon the development of ancient history, as some historians may argue.

An assessment of Shliemann’s work and discoveries in archaeology reveal that he discovered Homeric Troy as well as a city that existed long before Homer - a prehistoric Bronze Age civilization in Turkey.  Originally, ancient historians had thought of four empires that existed: Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Babylon – Assyria.  Schliemann uncovered two new civilizations which effectively lengthened the perspective of Ancient history.  This is important to look at when assessing the development of ancient history, as it is obvious from his discoveries that Schliemann had a profound impact on history.  The Cambridge Encyclopedia of History describes Schliemann as being a “symbol not only of the new archaeology scholarship of the second half of the 19th Century but also of the romance and excitement of archaeology”. From this it can be seen that his discoveries, particularly the excavation at Troy had a very significant impact on society as “every person of culture and education lived through the drama of discovering Troy”.

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Wellington King summarizes Schliemann’s great contribution to archaeology through his approach – “He approached archaeology as a science in which one forms hypotheses and then tests them, as one does in other sciences…In this respect alone Schliemann has aided the cause of archaeology”.  His method of archaeology is also supported by Traill, one of the greatest critics of Schliemann who compliments his approach to archaeology in saying that it was “a comparatively advanced view of the role of the archaeologist in 1875.” Effectively, Schliemann has had a considerable influence on future archaeologists through his methods, discoveries, and excavations, as well as ...

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