Malcolm Bell III ’63 *72

Mac, a renowned archaeologist who helped prevent plunder of antiquities in Italy, died of a respiratory infection in Rome Jan. 7, 2024. He was a University of Virginia professor and director of excavations at Morgantina in Sicily.

He had lasting impact on the art world for engineering a U.S./Italy agreement shifting the burden of proof of antiquities ownership to importers, the first such arrangement between the U.S. and a European nation. Priceless artifacts were repatriated to Italy.

Mac’s expertise was in ancient Greek and Roman art/architecture and in the history of city planning. Annually he led Morgantina expeditions for students and scholars. Nearby, the town of Aidone gave him honorary citizenship. In 2016, the Archaeological Institute of America handed him its highest award.

Raised in Savannah, Ga., he majored in English and was president of Key & Seal and movies editor of the Prince. For his Ph.D. at Princeton in 1972, Mac wrote on Morgantina’s terracottas. That began the longstanding Morgantina Studies series, which he supervised. It includes two of his books.

Surviving are his wife, Ruth, and their children, Raphael and Maggie ’00. One of Mac’s Savannah relatives wrote: “What a loss of one special human being, adventurer, historian, and scholar who lived and loved big.”