Heinrich Schliemann, born in 1822 near the German city of Rostock, did not have a lucky start in life. Due to financial hardship, he broke off his studies as a young man and began a business apprenticeship. He quickly made a career using his skill and talent for languages. He built his fortune in Moscow, selling ammunition to the tsar's army. Then he began to educate himself and travel.

Schliemann married the 17-year-old Sophia in Greece in 1869. Here, she's seen wearing a head dress from the cache of gold known as Priam's Treasure, which Schliemann excavated from the Troy site in 1873 and smuggled back into Germany. After World War II, the artifact was moved to Russia, where it has been on display in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow since 1992.

The legend of Troy has inspired people for thousands of years. The epic poet Homer described the Trojan War in his "Iliad," which told the tale of the city's siege by the Greeks. They were only able to conquer Troy with deception, building a wooden horse in which they hid warriors. When the residents of Troy brought the gift horse into the city, they also brought the enemy into their midst.

Using various clues in Homer's epic "Iliad" poem, Schliemann eventually found what he had been searching for hiding under a hill in Hisarlik, in what is now northwestern Turkey. The discovery was difficult to precisely map due to the long history of the city's settlement. But in 1872, Schliemann and his assistant Wilhelm Dörpfeld were finally certain: The walls they had unearthed belonged to Troy.

On May 31, 1873, Schliemann believed he had found his ultimate prize: the palace of King Priam. He also discovered golden artifacts hidden under shards of broken pottery — this precious head dress among them. Later, however, it was determined that the relics came from a much earlier time.

Schliemann also hoped to uncover additional sites from early Greek history, other places featured in Homer's "Iliad." In 1874, at the age of 52, Schliemann traveled to the site of Mycenae, where he suspected he would find the grave of the legendary Greek leader Agamemnon. There, too, he made a sensational discovery.

During his excavations in Mycenae, Schliemann discovered a grave with two skeletons. Obsessed with his idea to uncover traces of the Trojan War, he dubbed one of the death masks "Mask of Agamemnon." It later turned out not to belong to the famous ruler, but to a Mycenaean prince.

Despite being an archaeological pioneer, Schliemann was ridiculed by his German compatriots. In initial excavations, he destroyed important findings at the Troy site. Later, he began to examine the site more closely with meticulously planned trenches, discovering ceramics which he used as "index fossils." He also left behind an accurate record of all his discoveries.

The 3,300-year-old chamber was described by one archeologist as like being "on the set of an Indiana Jones movie." The structure, complete with dozens of intact pottery and bronze artifacts, was found by accident. The burial chamber containing several dozen pieces of intact pottery and bronze artifacts appears to have served as a family tomb.

After two mosques dating back some 1,200 years were found near the Bedouin town of Rahat, remains of a luxurious four-winged estate from the same period were also unearthed nearby. One of the rooms is covered with marble floors, the walls decorated with frescoes. Archaeologists also found a cistern and shards of decorated glassware, indicating the owners' wealth.

In a field near Twyford, west of London, a well-preserved 67-centimeter (26-inch) wooden figure from Roman times was found during digs along the planned HS2 rail route. Based on the carving style and the figure's dress, archaeologists estimate it to be nearly 2,000 years old. It is a rare find, as wood usually rots easily. The Romans occupied Great Britain for around 400 years.

The discovery of 41 Celtic gold coins in the German village of Baitz in the state of Brandenburg, made public on December 13, 2021, has been deemed a "sensation." Coin researcher Marjanko Pilekic said that since the over-2,000-year-old coins were found far from the Celts' actual distribution area, "the find could provide new insights into migration movements in the Iron Age."

These perforated shells, dating back 150,000 years, are believed to be the world's oldest jewelry. Assumed to have been used to form necklaces and bracelets, they were discovered in the Bizmoune cave near the coastal resort of Essaouira, in Morocco. Researcher Abdeljalil Bouzouggar described them as "symbolic objects that can only be transmitted through language."

A sprawling winemaking complex dating back some 1,500 years was recently unearthed in Yavne, Israel, complete with wine presses, kilns for producing clay wine jars, and warehouses. Excavation director Jon Seligman explained that wine was a common substitute for drinking water, which was not always safe back then, and was served to both adults and children.

A Greek warship found in the sunken city of Heracleion in Egypt's Abu Qir Bay is the latest discovery of very rare Hellenistic-era ships. Heracleion — also known as Thonis — was hit by earthquakes, tsunamis, rising sea levels and soil liquefaction at the end of the second century B.C. The ship was docking near the temple of Amun when the entire city collapsed, burying it under the debris.

In early July, Israeli archaeologists found what may have been a 2,000-year-old city council building during excavations under Jerusalem’s Old City. The opulent space is believed to have been a banquet hall for the elite. It is located close to the site of the Second Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans during the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

A 3,100-year-old pottery fragment inscribed with the name "Jerubbaal," relating to the biblical book of Judges, was found in southern Israel in July. Written in early Canaanite script, it provides a rare and valuable clue to the development and spread of writing systems in the region, as it is unusual for local researchers to find any writing from the 12th and 11th centuries B.C.

This 51,000-year-old bone decorated by a Neanderthal was found in July in the Unicorn Cave in Germany's Harz Mountains. The lines purposefully carved into the toe bone belonging to a prehistoric deer may have had symbolic meaning. Archaeologists were blown away by the artifact because it was evidence that the Stone Age hominids were capable of artistic expression.

During excavations in the Israeli town of Yavne in June, archaeologists discovered an intact 1,000-year-old chicken egg. "The egg's unique preservation is evidently due to the conditions in which it lay for centuries, nestled in a cesspit containing soft human waste that preserved it," they said. Sadly, it cracked later in the lab.

In June, researchers found the remains of the "Nesher Ramla Homo type." They took the name from the area in Israel where they had been doing excavation work in a sinkhole. The hominids lived alongside our species more than 100,000 years ago. The finds included this jaw that belonged to a person who lived 120,000 to 140,000 years ago.

Egyptologists announced the discovery of a 3,000-year-old "lost golden city" near Luxor in April, touting it as one of the most important finds since the tomb of Tutankhamun. It dates back to the reign of Amenhotep III, one of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, who ruled from 1391 to 1353 B.C.

In April, French archaeologists said they believed the Saint-Belec slab, which dates from the Bronze Age and was unearthed in 1900 in western France, may be Europe's oldest 3D map. The 4,000-year-old etchings on the slab measuring 2.2 by 1.5 meters (7.2 by 5 feet) appear to resemble topographical features such as hills and a river network, maybe referring to an area in modern-day western Brittany.

This mysterious ceremonial gold mask found in Sanxingdui, in China’s Sichuan Province, unwittingly became a social media sensation after its discovery in March. Having inspired memes and tribute videos in China, the 3,000-year-old artifact was one of 500 Bronze Age relics that experts said could provide new insights on the ancient Shu state, which ruled the area before 316 B.C.

In March, archaeologists found a well-preserved basket with a capacity of about 100 liters (26 gallons) dating back to the pre-pottery neolithic period, roughly 10,500 years ago. Found in the Muraba'at Caves in the Judean Desert west of the Dead Sea, it was buried under almost 3 feet (roughly 1 meter) of soil. It was exquisitely preserved due to the region's high temperatures and extreme aridity.

In January 2021, Australian and Indonesian archaeologists announced the discovery of cave paintings in Sulawesi, Indonesia. They depict prehistoric Indonesian pigs using ocher, an inorganic mineral that cannot be carbon dated. Researchers instead dated the calcium stalagmites and stalactites surrounding the paintings and found that the oldest painting was created at least 45,500 years ago.

The most recent finding at the Amphipolis excavation site in northern Greece were two female statues, known as caryatids. Wearing long robes and thick curly hair, they guard the second entrance to the tomb, which dates back to 300-325 BC - the era of Alexander the Great. The interior of the tomb has not yet been explored, but experts suspect the contents may still be intact.

One of the two female figures discovered on September 6 was missing its face. "The left arm of one and the right arm of the other are raised in a symbolic gesture to refuse entry to the tomb," said Greece's ministry of culture in a statement. The two figures were similar in style to the two other statues found several weeks earlier: sphinxes at the main entrance to the tomb.

These two marble sphinxes stand watch at the main entrance to the tomb and were uncovered in August by archeologists. They would've been over 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall with their heads and wings, pieces of which were found nearby. A wide path and 13 steps lead to the entrance of the tomb, which is the largest ever discovered in Greece. The burial mound alone measures 1,500 feet (457 meters).

This marble lion, over 17 feet (5 meters) tall, supposedly stood atop the tomb. It was discovered by the Greek army in the bed of the Strymónas River back in 1912. While experts can't be sure that the tomb was left undisturbed until it is fully excavated, expectations are high that it belonged to an ancient celebrity, possibly one of Alexander the Great's high-ranking officials or family members.

Excavation work on the tomb in Amphipolis began in 2012 under the direction of chief archeologist Katerina Peristeri. "We are like surgeons, making slow progress," she told Greek media. The tomb, located in the Macedonian region of Greece on the Aegean Sea, dwarfs that of Alexander the Great's father. The legendary ruler is thought to be buried in Egypt, though the exact location is unknown.

This intricate marble panel was found in what appears to be the antechamber of the main room of the tomb. The quality of the work is evidence of the wealth and significance of its owner. Alexander the Great's wife and son are said to have been murdered in Amphipolis when Macedonian general Cassander conquered the territory in the 4th century BC. It's possible the tomb was made for them.

This marble-faced stretch of wall was uncovered at the tomb site in August. Experts have said the structure bears the handprint of Alexander the Great's chief architect, Deinocrates of Rhones, who was employed to build the city of Alexandria.

Pictured is an aerial view of the Amphipolis site, located south of the Greek city of Serres. Anticipation is high as archeologists make their way deeper into the chambers of the tomb, which the Greek government has called a "monument of great importance." The mystery of its inhabitant will likely be solved in the coming weeks, though Alexander the Great's burial site may forever remain a secret.