 Higher education was rather provided by private teachers, professional groups, and state-appointed teachers, but not by the permanent corporations (Latin "universitas") of the medieval university.In the early period Rome, Athens, and Alexandria were the main centers of learning, but were overtaken in the 5th century by the new capital, Constantinople.After the Academy in Athens closed in 529, and the conquest of Alexandria and Beirut by the Muslims in the mid seventh century, the focus of all higher learning moved to Constantinople.