Farewell to Malcolm Bell, archaeologist in the field at Morgantina

Malcolm Bell, noted archaeologist and field director of the excavations at Morgantina, Sicily, has died at the age of 82. An expert on the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome and the history of urban planning, Bell graduated in 1963 from Princeton University, also earning a PhD. During his doctoral studies, he won a Fulbright Scholarship to Italy (1968-1969) and a Rome Prize (1968-1970), where he worked on his thesis, “The Terracottas of Morgantina: 400-50 B.C.,” based on findings at the site of an ancient Greek settlement in Sicily.

After his time at theAmerican Academy in Rome, Bell began teaching at the University of Virginia in 1971 and served as chair of the McIntire Art Department from 1978 to 1985. He also led excavations in Sicily, going to Morgantina each year in the field. His writings on the long Morgantina Studies series, which he supervised, include The Terracottas (1982) and The City Plan and Political Agora (2022).

Malcolm Bell’s connection to Morgantina was so important that the city of Aidone awarded him its first honorary citizenship in 2008. Bell played an instrumental role in theAphrodite of Morgantina.

The Archaeological Institute of America awarded Bell its highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 2016.

Photo by Luis Cinco.

Farewell to Malcolm Bell, archaeologist in the field at Morgantina

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