ABSTRACT
IThas been claimed for Plato that, in founding the Academy on its distinctive lines, he really brought something new into the world. And as a general statement the claim is justified. So far as we know, there was nothing quite like the Academy before. But, on the other hand, most if not all of its individual characteristics could be paralleled in one or other of the previously existing institutions. And an examination of the various affiliations of Plato's educational foundation will help us to understand what it did and what it did not do.
