Carlo Roberto Dati (2 October 1619 – 1 January 1676) was a Florentine nobleman, philologist and scientist, a disciple of Galileo (1564–1642) and, in his youth, an acquaintance of Evangelista Torricelli (1608–1647).

He received his first education from Romolo Bertini,[2] and studied classical languages under Giovanni Battista Doni, lector of Greek at the Studio Fiorentino.

Seven years later, he became secretary for that society, and initiated the work that led to the third edition of the Vocabolario (1691) and wrote the Discorso dell'obbligo di ben parlare la propria lingua (1657), in which he staunchly defended the supremacy of Florentine Italian.

In it, he claimed the Tuscan – and thus Medicean – priority in the correct interpretation of Torricelli's 1644 experiment, which had sparked a lively discussion all over Europe.

He also published many historical, political, and literary works, including the fascinating Vite de' pittori antichi (Lives of Ancient Painters, 1667), dedicated to Louis XIV (1638–1715), and considered the first attempt at a documentary history of painting in classical antiquity.