This study examines the early history of the excavations at three important sites of classical antiquity through the life and work of Karl Jakob Weber, who supervised these investigations from 1750 to 1765. While many of his contemporaries sought only the recovery of precious antiquities, Weber sought to retrieve evidence of the ancient urban fabric and to relate his discoveries to their archaeological context, thereby establishing the first systematic approach for the excavations. His methods influenced all subsequent publications of contemporary rediscoveries throughout Europe. This study is based on original excavation documents and plans, contemporary correspondence and the extant archaeological remains.