Heinrich Schliemann claimed to have found Troy based on his father's story. He was a world traveler, speaker of 15 languages, and amateur archaeologist. He claimed his story awakened his hunger to search for Troy's existence
Born in 1822 in Germany, Schliemann was a poor pastor's son. Learned multiple languages including Russian and ancient Greek. Became a successful businessman in Russia during the Crimean War. Retired at 36 to focus on prehistoric archaeology
Karamenderes flows west from Mount Ida in Çanakkale Province, Turkey. Known as Scamander in ancient Greece, named by gods as Xanthus. Pseudo-Plutarch tells story of Scamander's madness and river's transformation
Heinrich Schliemann excavated Hisarlik mound in Turkey in late 19th century. Hisarlik contains nine Troys, with Troy VI being most likely Homer's Troy. Troy VI existed from 1700 to 1250 B.C. near Dardanelles
Heinrich Schliemann developed a lifelong passion for Troy from childhood. He learned multiple languages in a year before pursuing archaeology. He traveled through Turkey with a copy of Homer's "Iliad"
Aeneas was born to Anchises and Aphrodite on Mount Ida. Aphrodite warned Anchises about Zeus's thunderbolt if they revealed their son's true parentage. Aeneas fought bravely in the Iliad, shielding Pandarus from Diomedes' attack