Encheiridion [Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Epictetus, the seminal figure of the late period of Stoic philosophy, was a Greek born in southeast Anatolia (Turkey), between 50 and 60 CE. A slave by either birth or acquisition, Epictetus ended up in Rome, where, in accordance with local practice, he was permitted to study and perhaps teach philosophy. Epictetus ultimately was emancipated and went on to pursue a life of thinking and teaching. Ultimately, when all philosophers were banned from Rome, Epictetus and his disciples fled to northeastern Greece.