 Is a deal with the Bishop necessary to explain Ammonius’ continued ability to teach in Alexandria? The other professors of philosophy appear to have fled or died during Nicomedes’ investigation in 489, while Ammonius, initially a focus of that investigation, remained in Alexandria. We are not told that it became impossible for pagans other than Ammonius to teach after 489, and there were evidently Christian students in Ammonius’ school after that date, just as there were earlier. Since Damascius connects Ammonius’ deal with his avarice, we should like to know more about his income. In major cities, the role of teacher was associated with payment by the city, and in Constantinople there were chairs paid by the Emperor; a law of Justinian in 529, the extension of an order of his father (Justin I, 518–527), decrees (Codex Justinianus 1.5.18.4) that only those of orthodox faith may teach and receive a public stipend (sitēsis dēmosia). Damascius reports that Hermeias had received a municipal stipend, presumably for teaching, which his widow managed to have continued until her sons could do philosophy (hōs ephilosophēsan, where hōs is used in the sense of heōs). Scholars mostly think this makes it likely that Ammonius took up his father’s position on his return from Athens, or even that his father’s position in the school was held vacant for him and was paid in the meanwhile. But there were at least four philosophers teaching together with Horapollon in the 480s, so it is difficult to assert that Ammonius held ‘the chair’ of philosophy; perhaps there were a number of ‘chairs’—difficult, but not impossible, since Ammonius was undoubtedly the most important and influential of the four. How long did Aedesia continue to receive her dead husband’s salary for her sons, “until they began to do philosophy” (hōs ephilosophēsan): was it until they could receive it in their own right? Damascius uses the aorist tense of philosopheō to mean ‘studied philosophy’ (54 Hermeias studied philosophy under Syrianus; 57B Ammonius and Heliodorus studied philosophy under Proclus; 71B Isidore studied philosophy under the brothers Heraïscus and Asclepiades; cf. 63B while Hierios was studying [philosophounta] philosophy). On that likely reading, Aedesia will have arranged for her sons to be supported by the city until she could take them to Athens to study philosophy, where they would, as members of the Academy community, have been supported. When they returned to Alexandria, they will have made their own way, with the support of their mother and of family friends; whether with financial support from students, from the city, or both, is unclear. 