Phaedrus was a 1st-century Roman fabulist and the first person to translate the entirety of Aesop's fables into Latin verse. Originally a Thracian slave, he came to Italy and was educated in the household of Emperor Augustus, who eventually freed him. In addition to his translations, Phaedrus composed many of his own fables, often imbuing them with personal and satirical commentary on the social and political life of his time. His work, collected in five books, ensured the survival and popularity of the Aesopic tradition throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.