Plato was born in Athens, about 427 BC, and died there about 347 BC In early life Plato saw war service and had political ambitions. However, he was never really sympathetic to the Athenian democracy and he could not join in its government. He was a follower of Socrates, whose disciple he became in 409 BC, and the execution of that philosopher by the democrats in 399 BC was a crushing blow. He left Athens, believing that until "kings …
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…extended long past his own life and, indeed, never died. The Academy remained a going institution until A.D. 529, when the Eastern Roman Emperor, Justinian, ordered it closed. It was the last stronghold of paganism in a Christian world. Plato's philosophy, even after that date, maintained a strong influence on the thinking of the Christian Church throughout the early Middle Ages. It was not until the thirteenth century that the views of Aristotle gained dominance.