(January 6, 1822-December 26, 1890)
Born in Neubukow, Germany
Archaeologist
Excavated Troy, Mycenae and Tiryns

He made his fortune during the Crimean War by cornering the market in three ammunition components - saltpeter, sulfur and lead - and selling them at inflated prices to Russia.
His second wife was 30 years his junior.
He was so obsessed with the Trojan War that for his children's baptism he placed a copy of the Iliad on their heads and read a hundred hexameters.
In his haste to reach Homeric Troy, he destroyed much of the archaeological site.
He smuggled the cache of gold artifacts known as Priam's Treasure out of Turkey.
During later digs in Greece, the local archaeological society sent an agent to monitor him to prevent a repeat performance.

He claimed to have vowed at age 8 to find Troy and made good on his promise.
He survived a shipwreck as a 19-year-old cabin boy.
He learned 12 languages in addition to his native German.
Before his excavations, many scholars thought the Troy of the 'Iliad' was merely a legend.

Credit: C. Fishel

http://aia.li/25987

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