Karl Dilthey (18 March 1839, Biebrich – 4 March 1907, Göttingen) was a German classical scholar and archaeologist.

After studying at Breslau and Bonn, Dilthey — younger brother of the renowned philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey — travelled to Greece. After being privatdozent at Bonn until 1866/67, he moved to Rome and in 1869 to the University of Zurich, where he was appointed a full professor of classical philology and archaeology. In 1878, he moved to Göttingen as a full professor of classical philology, later archaeology. He became director to the archaeological-numismatic collections of the university and a full member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences.