A Jewish native of Germany, Bloch studied Ancient History, Classical Philology and Archaeology at the
University of Berlin and at the
University of Rome, where he received his Dr. degree in Roman History in 1935 and the Diploma di perfezionamento in 1937. He was awarded a L.L.D. by the
University of Cassino in 1989. He was a member of the staff of the excavations in
Ostia in 1938. Because of anti-Semitic legislation in Italy at this time, Bloch emigrated to the
United States in 1939. His brother, who stayed in Germany, was murdered in the Holocaust. Bloch taught at
Harvard University from 1941 to 1982. His teaching and research interests involved Greek and Roman
historiography,
Latin epigraphy, Roman
archaeology (especially architecture), and
Medieval Latin literature. He was a Member of the
Institute for Advanced Study,
Princeton, New Jersey (1953–54), Professor in Charge of the School of Classical Studies at the
American Academy in Rome (1957–59), Senior Fellow of the
Society of Fellows (1964–79), Trustee of the Loeb Classical Library (1964–73). the
American Philosophical Society, the
Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia (since 1990 Hon. Mem.), The
German Archaeological Institute, the Zentraldirektion of the
Monumenta Germaniae Historica. He was awarded the Premio "Cultori di Roma" 1999. He died on 6 September 2006 at Cambridge, Massachusetts. ==Selected works==