Meritt, Benjamin Dean (1899-1989)

US epigrapher and ancient historian. With Albert Einstein, he was one of the original members of Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study, where he was professor of Greek epigraphy, the study of ancient inscriptions (1935-69). He published widely on topography and epigraphy and his Athenian Tribute Lists (1939-53), coauthored with M F McGregor and H T Wade-Gery, made possible detailed study of the growth of the Athenian empire in the 5th century BC. His work on the Athenian calendar culminated in The Athenian Year (1961). Meritt was born in Durham, North Carolina.