How Heinrich Schliemann Learned 15 Languages

Learning a foreign language often feels like a slow and difficult process. But Heinrich Schliemann, a 19th-century German businessman and archaeologist, claimed he could learn a new language in just six weeks. In his lifetime, he reportedly spoke between 15 and 20 languages. How did he do it?

A Childhood Dream That Changed History

Heinrich Schliemann had a deep passion for the history of Ancient Greece. From an early age, encouraged by his father, he became fascinated by Homer’s epic poem The Iliad. He firmly believed that the legendary Trojan War described in the poem had actually taken place.

According to Schliemann himself, at the age of seven he declared that one day he would excavate the city of Troy. Many years later, he did exactly that—an achievement that made him a legendary figure in archaeology.

From Businessman to Polyglot

Before becoming an archaeologist, Schliemann built a highly successful career as a businessman. His work took him to many different countries, where communication was key. To connect with people from different cultures, he learned numerous languages and eventually developed his own method for language learning.

Schliemann claimed that this system allowed him to learn a new language from scratch in just six weeks—an impressive feat, even by today’s standards.

The Core of His Method: Parallel Reading

One of the most important elements of Schliemann’s language-learning system was parallel (bilingual) reading. Instead of reading a foreign-language book with a dictionary at hand, he would buy two versions of the same book: one in a language he already knew and one in the language he was learning.

He would then read both versions side by side, comparing sentences and words directly. This allowed him to understand new vocabulary instantly, without constantly stopping to look up words or losing track of the story.

Schliemann described the process like this:

I procured a modern Greek translation of “Paul et Virginie” and read it through, comparing every word with its equivalent in the French original. When I had finished this task, I knew at least one half of the Greek words the book contained, and after repeating the operation I knew them all, or nearly so, without having lost a single minute by being obliged to use a dictionary.

Why This Method Works

Parallel reading remains popular among language learners today—and for good reason:

Efficiency: It helps build vocabulary and understand grammar quickly, without constant dictionary use.

Learning in context: Words are learned within full sentences, which makes meanings easier to remember than isolated word lists.

Accessibility: Parallel texts are available in many languages, from German short stories to classic novels, making this method easy to try.

More Than Just Reading

Parallel reading wasn’t Schliemann’s only technique. He also read extensively aloud and kept diaries in the languages he was learning. These habits helped him improve pronunciation, writing skills, and overall fluency. But that’s a story for another blog post.