Benjamin Dean Meritt

{{Short description|American classical scholar and epigraphist (1899–1989)}}

Benjamin Dean Meritt (March 31, 1899 in Durham, North Carolina – July 7, 1989 in Austin, Texas) was a classical scholar, professor and epigraphist of ancient Greece.{{Cite journal| last = Thompson | first = Homer A. | authorlink = Homer Thompson | title = Benjamin Dean Meritt (March 31, 1899 – July 7, 1989) | journal = Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society | volume = 135 | issue = 1 | year = 1991 | pages = 110–115 | jstor = 987155 }} He was the older son of Arthur Herbert Meritt, a professor of Greek and Latin at Trinity College (later Duke University). His younger brother Herbert Dean Meritt was a professor of English philology at Stanford University.{{Citation |last=Ackerman |first=Robert W. |chapter=Herbert Dean Meritt: A Biographical Sketch |title=Philological Essays |editor-last=Rosier |editor-first=James L. |date=2019-05-20 |pages=11–12 |chapter-url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110820263-002/html |access-date= |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |language=en |doi=10.1515/9783110820263-002 |isbn=978-3-11-082026-3}}

Meritt was educated at Hamilton College (B.A. 1920) and Princeton University (M.A. 1923, Ph.D. 1924). He was an assistant director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, is notable for his development of the Athenian Tribute Lists{{cite book|author1=Benjamin Dean Meritt|author2=John S. Traill|title=Inscriptions: The Athenian Councillors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IhCeMQEACAAJ|year=1974|publisher=American School of Classical Studies at Athens|isbn=978-0-87661-215-6}} and worked extensively on Athenian calendaring.{{cite book|author=Benjamin Dean Meritt|title=The Athenian Year|url=https://archive.org/details/athenianyear0000meri|url-access=registration|date=1 January 1961|publisher=University of California Press|id=GGKEY:PKN5996UGH8}}

Meritt taught at a number of universities including University of Vermont, Brown University, University of Michigan, Princeton University and the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. In 1935 he became a member of the faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study, a position he would hold until his retirement. That same year, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-09 |title=Benjamin Dean Meritt |url=https://www.amacad.org/person/benjamin-dean-meritt |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=American Academy of Arts & Sciences |language=en}} He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1938.{{Cite web |title=APS Member History |url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Benjamin+Meritt&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=search.amphilsoc.org}} In 1972, he moved with his wife, Lucy Shoe Meritt, to the University of Texas at Austin as a visiting professor. The following year she became a visiting professor as well.