According to internal evidence derived from the text of the Mythiambi, it is probable that Babrius lived in Syria or nearby in the Middle East. For example, in fable 57 he relates that his knowledge of the Arabian character is based on personal experience. There he describes how the Arabs plundered a wagon laden with lies, deceit, and every kind of evildoing and concludes, "It is for this reason, as I have directly experienced, that the Arabs are liars and cheats." In his second prologue he demonstrates knowledge that the fable is not a Greek "invention" but goes back to an earlier Assyrian tradition: "Fable is the invention of the ancient Syrian [Assyrian] people, who lived long ago in the time of Ninus and Belus" (legendary Assyrian kings of about 1300 B.C., according to Greek tradition). Access to such information suggests proximity to sources in the Middle East. Indeed, Babrius probably took several of his fables from that tradition.
The second prologue also reveals that Babrius published a second book of fables intended to edify and entertain, which he dedicated to "the son of King Alexander." It is reasonable to assume that Babrius was tutor to a prince or princeling in some Middle Eastern royal court.
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