Epictetus was an Ancient Greek philosopher. He was born in Hierapolis, Phrygia around 55 AD. The name his parents gave him is unknown; the word "epíktetos" (επίκτητος) in Greek simply means "acquired." He spent his youth as a slave in Rome to Epaphroditos, a rich freedman and secretary to Nero. The city was near the modern-day town of Pamukkale in Turkey. He died around 135 AD in Nikopolis in Epirus, in Greece. He was one of the most influential philosophers of the late Stoa. Epictetus founded a school of philosophy, where he also taught. None of his writings survive, but one of his pupils, Arrian, wrote what Epictetus taught.