Independence, dimension and continuity in non-forking frames

The notion J is independent in (M,M0,N) was established by Shelah, for an AEC (abstract elementary class) which is stable in some cardinal ë and has a non-forking relation, satisfying the good ë-frame axioms and some additional hypotheses. Shelah uses independence to define dimension. Here, we show the connection between the continuity property and dimension: if a non-forking satisfies natural conditions and the continuity property, then the dimension is well-behaved. As a corollary, we weaken the stability hypothesis and two additional hypotheses, that appear in Shelah's theorem.