Background
Mathisen, Ralph Whitney was born on February 17, 1947 in Ashland, Wisconsin, United States. Son of Arnold Howard and Barbara Louise Mathisen.
(Proposes that barbarian integration into Roman society wa...)
Proposes that barbarian integration into Roman society was a collaborative process rather than a conquest in the fifth century
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FDVBYG0/?tag=2022091-20
( Skin-clad barbarians ransacking Rome remains a popular ...)
Skin-clad barbarians ransacking Rome remains a popular image of the "decline and fall" of the Roman Empire, but why, when, and how the Empire actually fell are still matters of debate among students of classical history. In this pioneering study, Ralph W. Mathisen examines the "fall" in one part of the western Empire, Gaul, to better understand the shift from Roman to Germanic power that occurred in the region during the fifth century AD Mathisen uncovers two apparently contradictory trends. First, he finds that barbarian settlement did provoke significant changes in Gaul, including the disappearance of most secular offices under the Roman imperial administration, the appropriation of land and social influence by the barbarians, and a rise in the overall level of violence. Yet he also shows that the Roman aristocrats proved remarkably adept at retaining their rank and status. How did the aristocracy hold on? Mathisen rejects traditional explanations and demonstrates that rather than simply opposing the barbarians, or passively accepting them, the Roman aristocrats directly responded to them in various ways. Some left Gaul. Others tried to ignore the changes wrought by the newcomers. Still others directly collaborated with the barbarians, looking to them as patrons and holding office in barbarian governments. Most significantly, however, many were willing to change the criteria that determined membership in the aristocracy. Two new characteristics of the Roman aristocracy in fifth-century Gaul were careers in the church and greater emphasis on classical literary culture. These findings shed new light on an age in transition. Mathisen's theory that barbarian integration into Roman society was a collaborative process rather than a conquest is sure to provoke much thought and debate. All historians who study the process of power transfer from native to alien elites will want to consult this work.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292770510/?tag=2022091-20
Mathisen, Ralph Whitney was born on February 17, 1947 in Ashland, Wisconsin, United States. Son of Arnold Howard and Barbara Louise Mathisen.
Master of Science in Mech. Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic, 1972; Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Physics, University of Wisconsin, 1969; Master of Arts in Classics, University of Wisconsin, 1973; Doctor of Philosophy in Ancient History, University of Wisconsin, 1979.
Computing analyst, United Aircraft Research, East Hartford, Connecticut, 1969-1971; systems analyst, Travelers Insurance, Hartford, Connecticut, 1971-1972; project assistant, Space Medicine Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, 1971-1979; visiting assistant professor, University of Illinois, Chicago, 1979-1980; professor, University of Southern California, Columbia, since 1980. Vice president Byzantine Studies Conference, 1994-1996.
( Skin-clad barbarians ransacking Rome remains a popular ...)
(Proposes that barbarian integration into Roman society wa...)
(Religion)
President South Carolina. Neighborhood Coalition, 1992-1996, Columbia Council of Neighborhoods, 1991-1992. Active Quality Housing Task Force, Columbia, 1987, Columbia Neighborhood Redevelopment Committee, 1991-1992.
Fellow American Numismatic Society. Member American Philological Society, Association for Ancient Historians, Society for Ancient Numismatics, United States Committee for Byzantine Studies, Association for History Computing, United States Byzantine Studies Conference (v.p.1994-1996, president since 1996).
Married Rita M. Rhodes, July 26, 1980. Children: Katherine Whitney, David Arthur.