The so-called "Oxbridge" of late antiquity - Or, a comparison of the Schools of Athens and Alexandria

Years ago, Karl Praechter claimed that philosophical teaching at Alexandria and Athens differed widely in context, not in the way pupils were taught. Recent studies try to show the opposite view. a) The circumstances were qui te different, in which philosophical courses were held at Alexandria and At hens. Thee, philosophers lectured privately without financial help of the s tate or of other institutions, here they worked in the surrounding of a sch olarly, privately subsidized community; b) The philosophical positions diff ered less than previously assumed. According to this paper - although it fo cusses mainly on a) - one has to combine the old with the new consensus. De spite specific differences in the way of teaching (and in content), enough features remain which enable us to compare the cities of Alexandria and Ath ens with "Oxbridge": the mutual exchange of students and teachers, the phil osophical diadoche.