hiː ɪz pɹɪzˈuːmd tə hɐvbɪn bˈɔːɹn ɪn sˈʌðɚn spˈeɪn, wˈɛns hiː wɛnt tə pɹɑːvˈɑ̃s ænd sˈɛɾəld ɪn lˈʌnəl, ðˌoʊ ˈɛpstaɪn ɪz ʌv əpˈɪniən ðæt hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪnðə bˈɪzɐntˌiːn ˈɛmpaɪɚ.
He is presumed to have been born in southern Spain, whence he went to Provence and settled in Lunel, though Epstein is of opinion that he was born in the Byzantine Empire.