CAMWS is pleased to bestow its Outstanding Publication Award for 2013 on Joseph Rife (Vanderbilt University) for his book Isthmia: The Roman and Byzantine Graves and Human Remains (Isthmia XI), ASCSA/Princeton, 2012.
Rife's book combines detailed work in both cultural archaeology and physical anthropology to extract from this set of burials at Isthmia not only a rich tapestry of information about the burial practices of the residents of Isthmia under Roman rule but also information about their health, occupations, diet, and family structure. The careful technical studies (e.g. the reader learns how to read traces of various diseases from bone markings) are matched by engaging and persuasive synthetic overview of the settlement and its residents.
It was in recognition of this distinguished achievement that CAMWS honors Joseph Rife with its 2013 Outstanding Publication Award.