The American Academy in Rome has released volume 69 of its annual journal, Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, featuring scholarship that spans antiquity to the modern era. As always, the publication reflects the Academy’s interdisciplinary focus, drawing from fields supported by the Rome Prize in the humanities. The issue’s contents are open access and made available through JSTOR.
This year’s issue opens with an editorial preface by Margaret L. Laird (2000 Fellow) and includes a broad range of essays that explore material culture, historical interpretation, and artistic representation. Highlights include “Excavating Morgantina’s Missing Centuries: The Agora Valley Project” by D. Alex Walthall (2013 Fellow), Christy Q. Schirmer (2021 Fellow), and two collaborators, which addresses a longstanding archaeological mystery, and Sandra R. Joshel and Lauren Hackworth Petersen’s “We Sing of Fullers and Owls,” a study of a Pompeian fresco and its cultural significance. Other contributions, such as “Drinking with the Dead” by Liana Brent (2019 Fellow), investigate rituals and social practices in the ancient world, while an essay on the Circus Maximus by Maggie L. Popkin (2021 Fellow) examines its depictions beyond Italy.
The volume also ventures into modern reception and historiography. Jamie Danis’s essay considers Cy Twombly’s engagement with classical antiquity, while Ilaria Trafficante’s work on the antiquities trade in early twentieth century Rome offers a detailed case study of shifting cultural and economic forces. Together, these essays reflect the Academy’s ongoing commitment to fostering diverse approaches to historical and cultural inquiry.
A special section, A Tribute to Malcolm Bell III, 1941–2024, honors the archaeologist and former Mellon Professor-in-Charge at the Academy. Contributions by colleagues and students, including Caroline Bruzelius (1986 Fellow, 1989 Resident, 1994–98 Director) and Claire L. Lyons (2022 Resident), recount Bell’s impact on the field and his leadership of the American excavations at Morgantina. These tributes capture a life dedicated to advancing the study of classical archaeology and mentoring new generations of scholars.
The issue also includes research reports by the 2024 Rome Prize Fellows, an Italian Fellow, and a Getty Global Affiliated Fellow. Their projects reflect the breadth of inquiry supported by the Academy, from investigations into ancient Egyptian stone imports to contemporary philosophical explorations. Collectively, they offer a snapshot of the intellectual work taking place at the Academy over the past year.
Volume 69 of the Memoirs continues to serve as a vital resource for scholars and readers engaged with the humanities. With its mix of archaeological discoveries, cultural analyses, and contemporary reflections, the issue underscores the Academy’s role as a hub for rigorous and creative scholarship.