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Why did Heinrich Schliemann retire from business at age 36?
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Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann, detail of an engraving by A. Weger, after a photograph.
Heinrich Schliemann retired from business at age 36 to dedicate his time, energy, and accumulated fortune to the study of prehistoric archaeology. Having successfully established himself as a businessman and military contractor in Russia, he chose to pivot his life's focus toward his long-held interest in the historical foundations of the Homeric poems.1