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Why were early excavations at Pompeii sometimes damaging to the site?

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Ruins of ancient Pompeii with stone columns and walls in the foreground, and Mount Vesuvius rising in the background under a partly cloudy sky. — Pompeii Mount Vesuvius rising up over the ruins of the ancient Roman city Pompeii.

Early excavations at Pompeii were often damaging because they were frequently conducted in a haphazard and irresponsible manner by treasure seekers or untrained workers rather than through systematic archaeology.1

Before the arrival of Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1860, who introduced careful documentation and structured site management, the lack of professional standards led to the loss of valuable historical context. While military engineer Karl Weber did perform systematic studies between 1750 and 1764, much of the other early digging focused on recovering artifacts rather than preserving the integrity of the site. These practices prioritized the acquisition of items over the scientific study of the ancient city, which is now recognized as a vital source for understanding the social, economic, and political life of the ancient world.12