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retreat into Mesopotamia, claiming advantages were offered by the great rivers there. The Parthians
viewed this as cowardice, and Tiridates was ousted from the monarchy. Nothing is recorded about the
ultimate end of Abdagaeses.
¤ ABLABIUS, FLAVIUS (fl. 4th century A.D.) Prefect of the PRAETORIAN GUARD under
CONSTANTINE THE GREAT, from 329 to 337. Ablabius governed the Eastern Empire as the personal
representative of the emperor, with considerable powers at his disposal. His authority earned him the
enmity of members of the imperial court, and his conversion to Christianity was considered a diplomatic
move. For some years Ablabius dueled politically with the philosopher sopater, eventually winning the
intellectual power struggle. His victory was short-lived; when CONSTANTIUS II came to the throne in
337, Ablabius was executed.
¤ ABYSSINIA See AFRICA.
¤ ACADEMY
Heavily influenced by its Greek predecessor, the Romans adopted this institution as they
adopted other Greek intellectual traditions. Roman philosophy was, in fact, based on Hellenic ideas and
standards, and during the era of the Republic the philosopher was a respected member of Roman society.
The Academy in Greece was founded in the late 4th century B.C. by Plato, as a refuge for intellectual and
political idealism, as well as training in mathematics, astronomy and especially philosophy. Arcesilaus
and Carneades were taught for generations in the Roman Academy and thus influenced subsequent
Roman philosophical evolution. Gradually, however, the Academy lost much of its status, especially in
the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C., as a result of its quarrels with the STOICS and other Roman philosophical
groups.
ANTIOCHUS OF ASCALON assumed the predominant position of Academy leader, succeeding
PHILO, sometime around 79 B.C. Antiochus revived the institution by terminating its sole reliance upon
the philosophical stance of skepticism, a pose adopted by leaders of the past. STOICISM, PLATONISM,
the Platonization of other philosophers, and even eclecticism were introduced into the Academy. Under
Antiochus' guidance, the so-called New Academy was furthered intellectually by the arrival of Cicero,
although the philosophies of the two eventually diverged. Antiochus opted for a more Stoic outlook in
the Academy's approach, while Cicero upheld Philo's perspective of skepticism. Under the Empire, the
Academics were highly regarded, and some of the finest intellects in the Roman world, such as
SENECA, were associated with the institution. Emperor JUSTINIAN dissolved the Academy in 529