German classical historian, generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century. His work on Roman law, epigraphy, numismatics, and general Roman history is still of fundamental importance for contemporary research. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1902 for his monumental Romische Geschichte (1854-5, 1885). Though largely fogotten today, Mommsen has two Nobel laureate claims to fame: he was both the first born of all Literature laureates, and for over a century he was the oldest person to receive the award for Literature (at age 85). He lost his title to Doris Lessing, who in 2007 won the award at age 87.