Frank Calvert

Frank Calvert

Frank Calvert (1828 – 1908) was an English expatriate who was a consular official in the eastern Mediterranean region and an amateur archaeologist. He began excavating Hissarlik (the site of the ancient city of Troy), 7 years before the arrival of Heinrich Schliemann.

Biography

Frank was the youngest of seven children born to James Calvert (1778-1852), of Malta, and Louisa Ann Lander (1792-1867).

As the youngest child, Frank was overshadowed by his elder siblings and became involved with the careers of his elder, more flamboyant brothers. Frank remained unmarried, quiet and unassuming, he nevertheless had an enduring passion for the Homeric legends and a firm belief that the myths were history, not fiction.

As early as 1822, Hisarlik was identified by Charles Maclaren as a possible site also of Homeric Troy. [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9040575 Hisarlık -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia ] at www.britannica.com] In 1847, Frank's brother Frederick bought a farm of over 2,000 acres (8 km²) at Akca Koy which included part of Mount Hisarlik. This was to be a momentous acquisition. By 1852, Frank was helping his brothers Frederick and James in their consular duties, writing 50% of the letters in French and English generated for his brothers, which they would sign as officers.

Frank continued to support his brothers' careers. In 1855, while Frederick was completely engrossed in affairs related to the Crimean War, Frank continued to produce the bulk of official consular correspondence. On occasion in 1856 and 1858, Frank stood in for Frederick as acting British consul. After standing in for his brother James, eventually Frank succeeded him as United States consular agent in 1874, an unpaid position that he held for the rest of his life. Occasionally, he served on local mixed European and Turkish tribunals, assuming from time to time the title of acting British consul.

Away from performing his consular duties, Frank carried on careful, exploratory excavations on the family-owned land which incorporated the mound of Hisarlik. He was convinced that this was the site of the ancient city of Troy. After the Crimean War he confided his views to Heinrich Schliemann. Calvert owned the eastern half of the Hisarlik mound, site of the ancient city, and the Turkish government the western half. During his 1873-1890 excavations, Schliemann recovered artefacts from the mound of Hisarlik and was subsequently credited with the discovery of Troy.

Calvert died in 1908, outliving Schliemann, but never officially associated with the discovery of Troy. In an ironic twist of fate, descendants of the Calvert brothers are now pursuing claims to the treasure recovered from Hisarlik.

References

*"Susan Heuck Allen", Finding the Walls of Troy – Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann at Hisarlik, University of California Press, 1999

External links

*Archaeological Institute of America — Lecturer Information about [http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10224&lid=2 Susan Heuck Allen]
* [http://crimeantexts.org.uk/topics/calverts.html The Consular Calverts]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Frank Calvert — (* 1828; † 1908) war ein englischer Auswanderer, diplomatischer Beamter im östlichen Mittelmeerraum und Amateurarchäologe. Er machte 1868 Heinrich Schliemann auf den Standort des antiken Troja auf den Hügel Hisarlık aufmerksam. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Frank Calvert — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Frank Calvert (1828 – 1908) fue un funcionario consular inglés en el Mediterráneo oriental, a la vez que arqueólogo aficionado. Fue un contribuidor esencial para el descubrimiento de la antigua ciudad de Troya… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Frank Calvert — (1828 – 1908) fue un funcionario consular inglés en el Mediterráneo oriental, a la vez que arqueólogo aficionado. Fue un contribuidor esencial para el descubrimiento de la antigua ciudad de Troya protagonizado por Heinrich Schliemann …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Frank Calvert — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Calvert. Frank Calvert (1828–1908) était un diplomate consulaire anglais en Méditerranée orientale et un archéologue amateur. Il initia les fouilles à Hissarlik (sur l emplacement de l ancienne cité de Troie), 7… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Calvert (name) — Calvert is a given name and a surname.People with the first name Calvert* Calvert DeForest (1921 2007), American actor and comedian * Calvert L. Willey (1920 1994), second Executive Vice President of the Institute of Food Technologists * Calvert… …   Wikipedia

  • Calvert — ist der Name einer aus Yorkshire stammenden Familie, die ab 1625 die irische Baronie Baltimore innehatte. Zu ihren Angehörigen zählen George Calvert, 1. Baron Baltimore (1580–1632) Cæcilius Calvert, 2. Baron Baltimore (1605–1675) Leonard Calvert… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Calvert — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Patronymes Ben Calvert, musicien Cecilius Calvert (1605–1675), 2e baron Baltimore, colonisateur anglais Frank Calvert (1828–1908), diplomate anglais… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Frank Smythe — Frank Sydney Smythe (6 juillet 1900 27 juin 1949) était un alpiniste britannique, également conférencier et auteur de nombreux ouvrages sur la montagne et l alpinisme, dans les premières années de l exploration et la conquête… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Frank Owens Smith — (August 27, 1859 ndash; January 29, 1924) was an American politician.Born in Smithville, Maryland, Smith attended the private and public schools of the Calvert County, Maryland, and also the North Mount Institute of West Virginia, and Bethel… …   Wikipedia

  • Frank Smythe — Francis Sydney Smythe, also known as Frank Smythe (6 July 1900 27 June 1949) was a British mountaineer, author, [cite book |title=An Alpine Journey author=Smythe, F. S. publisher=London, Victor Gollancz date=1934 ] cite book quotes=no author=F. S …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”