Arrian was born in the town of Nicomedia, in the province of Bithynia (present-day Izmit, Turkey), and studied philosophy under Epictetus in Nicopolis. He entered service in the Roman Empire, serving under Gaius Avidius Nigrinus, governor of Achaea, and eventually achieving the office of Consul in 129 or 130. In 131 he was appointed procurator of Cappadocia, and in 135 he commanded the legions that repelled an Alan invasion. He was elected Archon at Athens in 145/6, where he later devoted himself to history, writing the "Anabasis Alexandri" and the "Indica."
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