ABSTRACT
Despite the massive internal and external political, social and economic problems that the Ottoman Empire faced in the 1870s, the government still strove to maintain a grip on Schliemann’s excavations. The Ottoman authorities refused to give him a free hand and kept tight control on Troy. By imposing strict terms on excavations and demanding prior rights to any Trojan artefacts found, they tried to strengthen and maintain their position in line with Ottoman ideas and aspirations regarding antiquities, museums and archaeology.
