By Martina Hafner
A large show in two museums shows the life of Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered Troy, with 700 objects.
Priam’s treasure still lies as spoils of war in Moscow’s Pushkin Museum. And the dream of showing the gold that Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) found in Troy again in Berlin is further away than ever.
In the run-up to the exhibition “Schliemann’s Worlds” for his 200th birthday in the James-Simon-Galerie and in the New Museum, efforts were made to borrow objects from the treasury. It was brought to Russia from Berlin in 1945, and until the 1990s it was not known whether it still existed, says Hermann Parzinger (63), President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.
Heinrich Schliemann 1860 as a merchant in St. Petersburg, before his time as an archaeologist Photo: State Museums in Berlin
Afterwards, research was carried out together with Russian colleagues: “But in view of the criminal war, things are now on hold,” Parzinger continues.
The show is still worth seeing with around 700 exhibits, the life of the brilliant businessman and archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann is traced in two chapters.
Replica of the legendary treasure of Priam, the original is still in Russia as spoils of war Photo: DAVIDS/Sven Darmer
In the James-Simon-Galerie one learns that the Mecklenburg pastor’s son was given “World History for Children” as a present at the age of seven. The picture of the fire in Troy is said to have stuck with him. A copy of the book can be admired right at the entrance.
The Iliou Melathron, the Athenian residence that the Schliemanns had built, today the Numismatic Museum Photo: picture alliance / akg-images
However, it was 40 years before Schliemann was able to devote himself to archaeology. “He was born with nothing,” says state archaeologist Matthias Wemhoff (58), but his genius was already evident at the age of 19. He ended up shipwrecked in Holland, learned nine languages, traveled around the world: Egypt, China, Japan, Russia, America.
State archaeologist Matthias Wemhoff in the rooms of the Schliemann show in the Neues Museum Photo: DAVIDS/Sven Darmer
In the show you can see many exhibits from Schliemann’s time, appropriate to the regions in which he traveled. The adventures the researcher experienced is told on six screens by actress Katharina Thalbach (68), who mimics Schliemann sometimes with a pith helmet and sometimes with a sled coat.
Finally, Schliemann’s spectacular finds from Troy and Mycenae are presented in the New Museum, some as replicas, many as originals. These include items on loan from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, as director Anna-Vasiliki Karapanagiotou (56) reports.
Replicas of gold finds from the royal tombs of Mycenae in the form of a lion’s head, weapons and vessels Photo: DAVIDS/Sven Darmer
Despite all the admiration, she is also critical of Schliemann: “Several scientists here are literally in love with Schliemann. He is without a doubt the discoverer of prehistory and early history in Greece. But he also made mistakes.”
Original furniture from Heinrich Schliemann’s Athenian study, on loan from a museum in Larissa, Greece Photo: DAVIDS/Sven Darmer
For example, with Priam’s treasure, which is much older than Schliemann had believed. Hermann Parzinger says: “He messed up a good 1000 years.”
Until November 6, Museum Island, Tue.–Sun. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 14/7 euros, ☎ 266 42 42 42
