Why is Heinrich Schliemann considered an important popularizer of archaeology?

Heinrich Schliemann is recognized as a significant popularizer of archaeology primarily due to his ability to capture the public imagination regarding the romance and excitement of the field.1

While his methods were often criticized by scholars for being uncritical and destructive to historical layers, Schliemann effectively utilized media to broadcast his findings. By publishing books and sending dispatches to major newspapers—such as The Times and the Daily Telegraph—he kept the global public informed and enthusiastic about his excavations in a way that had never been achieved before.1

Although modern scholarship has revealed that Schliemann engaged in significant self-mythologizing and often failed to credit others like Frank Calvert, his high-profile claims regarding the discovery of Troy and the tombs of Agamemnon at Mycenae turned him into a lasting symbol of archaeological discovery.1