Benjamin Dean Meritt (March 31, 1899 in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

– July 7, 1989 in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

) was a classical scholar, professor and epigraphist of ancient Greece. He was the older son of Arthur Herbert Meritt, a professor of Greek and Latin at Trinity College (later

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

). His younger brother Herbert Dean Meritt was a professor of English philology at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. Meritt was educated at

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

(B.A. 1920) and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

(M.A. 1923, Ph.D. 1924). He was an assistant director of the

American School of Classical Studies at Athens The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA; ) is one of 19 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). CAORC is a private not-for-profit federat ...

, is notable for his development of the Athenian Tribute Lists and worked extensively on Athenian calendaring. Meritt taught at a number of universities including

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and the

American School of Classical Studies in Athens The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA; ) is one of 19 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). CAORC is a private not-for-profit federati ...

. In 1935 he became a member of the faculty at the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

, a position he would hold until his retirement. That same year, he was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1938. In 1972, he moved with his wife,

Lucy Shoe Meritt Lucy Taxis Shoe Meritt (August 7, 1906, in Camden, New Jersey – Austin, Texas, April 13, 2003) was an American classical archaeologist and a scholar of Greek architectural ornamentation and mouldings. Biography Born in Camden, New Jersey, Luc ...

, to the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

as a visiting professor. The following year she became a visiting professor as well.

Selected bibliography

#Benjamin Dean Meritt, H. T. Wade-Gery, and Malcolm Francis McGregor. 1939–1953. ''The Athenian tribute lists''. 4 vol. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press. #Benjamin Dean Meritt and John S. Traill. 1974. ''Inscriptions: the Athenian councillors.'' Princeton, N.J.: American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

References

External links

*
In Memoriam: Benjamin Dean Merritt
University of Texas at Austin Faculty Council

1899 births 1989 deaths American classical scholars Classical scholars of the Institute for Advanced Study Classical scholars of the University of Texas at Austin Hellenic epigraphers Hamilton College (New York) alumni Princeton University alumni Institute for Advanced Study faculty Corresponding fellows of the British Academy {{US-academic-bio-stub Members of the American Philosophical Society