Between 1594 and 1600, the Roman architect Domenico Fontana discovered some ruins as he dug an underground water conduit through Pompeii, but failed to recognize the city and investigate further. It was not until 1709 that Herculaneum was discovered, again by chance, as workers dug a well and happened to strike the seats of the theatre there. Marble used in the construction of the theatre was plundered, and some statuary was discovered and removed. In 1738, Charles Bourbon, the King of Naples and Sicily, resumed the excavations at Herculaneum, and in 1748, he initiated excavations at Pompeii. Although the excavations at Pompeii began under the mistaken search for the town of Stabiae, in 1763 an inscription bearing the name of the town, Rei publicae Pompeianorum, was discovered, firmly placing the town within the public’s imagination.

In the intervening years, excavations at the two sites proceeded haltingly, as political alliances in Italy shifted. The discipline of archaeology was in its infancy, and often, little regard was shown for the contexts of objects as they were found. Artifacts deemed to be of inferior quality were sometimes discarded or destroyed. Many of the early attempts at excavation were little more than treasure hunts with much of the art-- even the walls that included paintings-- being removed from the sites to enrich the personal collections of those in power at the time.

Giuseppe Fiorelli
Excavations in the 20th Century