The present work is devoted for the most part to the following general question: Let S be a compact connected n-dimensional semigroup with identity, and let / be a continuous homomorphism onto the 8emigroup T. What can be said about the dimension o/T ? It is well known that i/S is a locally compact group thenAnd, as we shall see, if S is a compact connected lattice and T is finite dimensional dim T < dims.However, there exists a compact connected one dimensional semigroup with identity S and a continuous homomorphism / such that /(S) is infinite dimensional. That is to say, a continuous homomorphism may be dimension raising. In connection with this however, the following is known: Let S be a compact, connected, locally connected one dimensional semigroup with identity. Then S admits no dimension raising homomorphism. (See [13].)The paper is in four sections. In the first we establish a number of preliminary lemmas for later use. We also establish the existence of various kinds of dimension raising homomorphisms. In particular, we establish the existence of monotone open, dimension raising homomorphisms.In the second section, we consider certain dimensionally stable semigroups. That is to say, semigroups whose dimension cannot be raised by a continuous homomorphism. Specifically, we establish the dimensional stability of certain algebraically irreducible semigroups. Indeed, we show that every compact connected abelian semigroup with identity contains a compact connected subsemigroup containing the minimal ideal and the identity which admits no dimension raising continuous homomorphism. Thus, in such a situation, under a homomorphism, there is always available a particular sub-semigroup whose dimension is not raised.In the third section we consider the effect upon dimension of monotone homomorphisms. We show that the dimension of a one dimensional compact connected semigroup with identity cannot be raised by either a monotone or an open homomorphism. We also consider the related problem of the immersability of the image of a compact connected plane semigroup under a monotone homomorphism.