The museum is amazing because it only includes things found on site. Many of the more valuable items have been moved to Athens and reproductions are shown in their place.
Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) has been credited with finding many of the artifacts. He is a controversial German millionaire who discovered Troy and demonstrated the factual basis of Homer's epics. He was self-educated and some believe he destroyed many artifacts by using a lot of dynamite while digging. On discovering a gold death mask which had preserved the skin of a royal skull, he proclaimed: "I have gazed upon the face of Agamemnon!" Archaeologists have since dated the mask to 300 years earlier than any historical Trojan warrior, the discovery corroborated Homer's description of "well-built Mycenae, rich in gold."
Here is Schliemann's wife wearing some of the jewelry he found at a Turkish site.
Gold!
I have a weakness for seals.
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