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SWA #1: Art of the Aegean

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SWA #1: Art of the Aegean

Schliemann was interested in making a proof of Homeric Troy such that

everything he discovered would end up being tied to epic stories. He pre-determined his

findings such that he was always ready to make changes to match his archeological findings.

The desire to short-change his findings was a way through which he wanted to reinforce his

belief about the existence of those legends. The misinformation might appear to be small

mistakes, but nothing concerning archaeological discoveries can be twisted in any way;

otherwise, the legitimacy of the results will end up being questionable. He was tactful in the

manner he combined findings from the various sites for the purpose of making it public as

well as showing off. The manner in which he crafted his tales raises a lot of questions

considering that he would draw everything he found out, making his works to be subject to a

significant level of bias (Rather, 2021). His poor skills, coupled with his hasty nature, also

lowered the accuracy of his findings following the excavation he carried out. Several

historians have since raised concerns about the findings presented by Schliemann.

It is thought that Schliemann tampered with the Mask of Agamemnon, where it is

claimed that he might have added or removed some features to suit his discovery intentions.

The mask was found on a corpse that lay close to the other three corpses thought to belong to

warriors, and modifications which are thought to have been done by Schliemann were meant

to prove that the mask belonged to the king and not warriors. The Mask of Agamemnon was

made of gold, indicative of the value attached to the mask and people who were buried with

them. The mask was found on a corpse thought to belong to a warrior who died when

defending their people; hence they were buried with the masks as a sign of the respect

accorded to them for their brave actions of fighting on behalf of their people. The mask

reveals that warriors were had a special place in Mycenean culture, and they were bound to

an honorable burial upon their death. The gold masks were valuable objects that were used to
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cover the face of honorable people upon their death (Romanenkova et al., 2020). Such respect

was considered a way through which their spirits could connect with society after burying

them.
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References

Rather, S. (2021). 2 The Archaeological Background. In Archaism, Modernism, and the Art

of Paul Manship (pp. 40-50). University of Texas Press.

Romanenkova, J., Bratus, I., & Gunka, A. (2020). Historical jewels in the museums of the

world. Agathos, 11(1), 131-144.