Ralph Whitney Mathisen (born February 17, 1947[1]) is an American ancient historian, specializing in the history of Late antiquity.
Currently he is the Professor of History, Classics, and Medieval Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
From 1996 to 2004 he was the Louise Fry Scudder Professor of Humanities at the University of South Carolina.
From 1979 he is a PhD in ancient history with the thesis "The Ecclesiastical Aristocracy of Fifth-Century Gaul: A Regional Analysis of Family Structure".
[2] Currently he is the Professor of History, Classics, and Medieval Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.