Many of Aesop's fables in this compilation from the book have in fact since been found on Egyptian papyri known to date between 800 and 1000 years before Aesop's time. This clearly cast doubts on the authorship of many of the fables attributed to Aesop and the Aesop's Fables book. Many of the fables were possibly merely compiled by Aesop from existing fables, much in the same way that the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes were but a new compilation of existing rhymes!