In 1868, Schliemann met the emigrant and amateur explorer Frank Calvert (1828-1908) in the Troas, who suspected Troy to be on the hill of Hisarlik according to a report by Charles McLaren. He convinced Schliemann to carry out excavations there.
Calvert had lived with his family in the Troas since the mid-19th century and was first a British, then an American consul. He bought part of Hisarlik and excavated ancient remains there in 1863 and 1865. In doing so, he felt that he had to excavate Troy. However, he did not have the money for a large excavation. Schliemann was not confronted with this problem: convinced of Calvert's localization, he began an illegal excavation in 1870 and officially began exploring the hill in 1871. Schliemann assumed that the lowest layer was the Homeric Troy, which is why he drove a wide trench into the hill. In the process, he destroyed younger buildings, but also laid the foundation for our knowledge of the early days of Troy.