Leidwanger to serve as Book Review Editor for Journal of Roman Archaeology

From Prof. Jen Trimble (Classics/Stanford) and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Roman Archaeology:

 

"I am delighted to share with you some great news for the Journal of Roman Archaeology: Justin Leidwanger has signed on as JRA's new Book Review Editor.  

 

As you know, JRA is in the middle of a huge and fascinating transition.  It was founded and edited for 33 years by John Humphrey, who turned it into the leading journal in Roman archaeology.  He retired this summer and sold JRA to Cambridge University Press.  It will take a small army to do what John Humphrey accomplished largely by himself for many years—luckily, we have one.  Cambridge UP has already dedicated a very experienced production team to this enterprise, and the archaeological editing will be done not by a single person but by a team of editors.  I am really happy that Ben Russell has now joined the team as an Associate Editor.  Ben is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and (among many other things) the author of The Economics of the Roman Stone Trade (Oxford University Press, 2013).  Ben currently directs excavations at Aeclanum in Campania and at Aphrodisias in western Asia Minor.  He will be a huge asset to JRA as we move forward.

 

All this brings me to why I’m so thrilled that Justin is the new book review editor.  Book reviews and review articles have historically made up fully half of each volume of JRA.  These reviews are not short summaries; they are often expert discussions that contextualize the book in relation to the field more broadly, or intervene in complex debates and difficult issues.  In other words, reviews and review articles have always been a crucial part of JRA and its contribution to the field.  Right now, with JRA's transition into an entirely new editorial and production structure, the job of book review editor calls for a first-rate scholar with a broad range of interests, excellent acumen and judgment, serious diplomatic skills, and boundless energy.  The best person for this job happened to be my colleague right here at Stanford, Justin Leidwanger; I am delighted that he agreed to take this on and is helping chart a path forward for JRA.