diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 0d3bc4f..3ae44ff 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 language: php
 
 php:
-  - 5.5
   - 5.6
   - 7.0
   - 7.1
diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index bccf08b..95e47e3 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
     }
   ],
   "require": {
-    "php": ">=5.5.0",
+    "php": ">=5.6.0",
     "doctrine/orm": "2.5.*",
     "doctrine/inflector": "^1.1"
   },
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     "gedmo/doctrine-extensions": "^2.4"
   },
   "autoload": {
+    "files": ["src/helpers.php"],
     "psr-4": {
       "LaravelDoctrine\\Fluent\\": "src/",
       "Gedmo\\": "lib/"
diff --git a/src/FluentDriver.php b/src/FluentDriver.php
index 452f931..72abe00 100644
--- a/src/FluentDriver.php
+++ b/src/FluentDriver.php
@@ -23,10 +23,9 @@ class FluentDriver implements MappingDriver
     protected $fluentFactory;
 
     /**
-     * Initializes a new FileDriver that looks in the given path(s) for mapping
-     * documents and operates in the specified operating mode.
+     * Initializes a new FluentDriver that will load given Mapping classes / objects.
      *
-     * @param string[] $mappings
+     * @param string[]|Mapping[] $mappings
      */
     public function __construct(array $mappings = [])
     {
@@ -79,35 +78,33 @@ public function isTransient($className)
     }
 
     /**
-     * @param string[] $mappings
+     * Adds an array of mapping classes / objects to the driver.
+     *
+     * @param string[]|Mapping[] $mappings
+     *
+     * @throws MappingException
+     * @throws InvalidArgumentException
      */
     public function addMappings(array $mappings = [])
     {
-        foreach ($mappings as $class) {
-            if (!class_exists($class)) {
-                throw new InvalidArgumentException("Mapping class [{$class}] does not exist");
-            }
-
-            $mapping = new $class();
-
-            if (!$mapping instanceof Mapping) {
-                throw new InvalidArgumentException("Mapping class [{$class}] should implement ".Mapping::class);
-            }
-
+        foreach ($mappings as $mapping) {
             $this->addMapping($mapping);
         }
     }
 
     /**
-     * @param Mapping $mapping
+     * @param string|Mapping $mapping
      *
      * @throws MappingException
+     * @throws InvalidArgumentException
      *
      * @return void
      */
-    public function addMapping(Mapping $mapping)
+    public function addMapping($mapping)
     {
-        $this->mappers->add($mapping);
+        $this->mappers->add($mapping instanceof Mapping ?
+            $mapping : $this->createMapping($mapping)
+        );
     }
 
     /**
@@ -139,4 +136,28 @@ protected function getFluent(ClassMetadata $metadata)
     {
         return call_user_func($this->fluentFactory, $metadata);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a mapping object from a mapping class, assuming an empty constructor.
+     *
+     * @param string $class
+     *
+     * @throws InvalidArgumentException
+     *
+     * @return Mapping
+     */
+    protected function createMapping($class)
+    {
+        if (!class_exists($class)) {
+            throw new InvalidArgumentException("Mapping class [{$class}] does not exist");
+        }
+
+        $mapping = new $class();
+
+        if (!$mapping instanceof Mapping) {
+            throw new InvalidArgumentException("Mapping class [{$class}] should implement ".Mapping::class);
+        }
+
+        return $mapping;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/helpers.php b/src/helpers.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8c89a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/helpers.php
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace LaravelDoctrine\Fluent;
+
+use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping\MappingException;
+use FilesystemIterator;
+use RecursiveDirectoryIterator;
+use RecursiveIteratorIterator;
+use RecursiveRegexIterator;
+use ReflectionClass;
+use RegexIterator;
+
+/**
+ * Returns an array of Mapping objects found on the given paths.
+ *
+ * @param string[] $paths
+ * @param string   $fileExtension
+ *
+ * @throws MappingException
+ *
+ * @return Mapping[]
+ */
+function mappingsFrom(array $paths, $fileExtension = '.php')
+{
+    $includedFiles = [];
+
+    foreach ($paths as $path) {
+        if (!is_dir($path)) {
+            throw MappingException::fileMappingDriversRequireConfiguredDirectoryPath($path);
+        }
+
+        $iterator = new RegexIterator(
+            new RecursiveIteratorIterator(
+                new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($path, FilesystemIterator::SKIP_DOTS),
+                RecursiveIteratorIterator::LEAVES_ONLY
+            ),
+            '/^.+'.preg_quote($fileExtension, '/').'$/i',
+            RecursiveRegexIterator::GET_MATCH
+        );
+
+        foreach ($iterator as $file) {
+            $sourceFile = $file[0];
+
+            if (!preg_match('(^phar:)i', $sourceFile)) {
+                $sourceFile = realpath($sourceFile);
+            }
+
+            require_once $sourceFile;
+
+            $includedFiles[$sourceFile] = true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    $mappings = [];
+    $declared = get_declared_classes();
+    foreach ($declared as $className) {
+        $rc = new ReflectionClass($className);
+        $sourceFile = $rc->getFileName();
+        if ($sourceFile === false || !array_key_exists($sourceFile, $includedFiles)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        if ($rc->isAbstract() || $rc->isInterface()) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        if (!$rc->implementsInterface(Mapping::class)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        $mappings[] = $rc->newInstanceWithoutConstructor();
+    }
+
+    return $mappings;
+}
diff --git a/tests/FluentDriverTest.php b/tests/FluentDriverTest.php
index 8f8dc62..b256678 100644
--- a/tests/FluentDriverTest.php
+++ b/tests/FluentDriverTest.php
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 use Tests\Stubs\Mappings\StubEmbeddableMapping;
 use Tests\Stubs\Mappings\StubEntityMapping;
 use Tests\Stubs\Mappings\StubMappedSuperClassMapping;
+use function LaravelDoctrine\Fluent\mappingsFrom;
 
 class FluentDriverTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
 {
@@ -229,6 +230,53 @@ public function test_allow_other_fluent_implementations()
         $driver->getMappers()->addMapper('fake', new EntityMapper($mapping));
         $driver->loadMetadataForClass('fake', new ClassMetadataInfo('fake'));
     }
+
+    /**
+     * This is not "only" a FluentDriver test.
+     * This tests the `mappingsFrom` function, in conjunction with the driver's ability
+     * to receive both Mapping class names or Mapping objects.
+     */
+    public function test_it_can_be_built_with_paths_using_the_provided_helper()
+    {
+        $driver = new FluentDriver(array_merge(
+            mappingsFrom([__DIR__ . '/Stubs/Mappings']),
+            [FakeClassMapping::class]
+        ));
+
+        $classNames = $driver->getAllClassNames();
+        $this->assertContains(StubEntity::class, $classNames);
+        $this->assertContains(StubEmbeddable::class, $classNames);
+        $this->assertContains(StubMappedSuperClass::class, $classNames);
+        $this->assertContains(FakeEntity::class, $classNames);
+
+        $driver->loadMetadataForClass(
+            StubEntity::class, new ClassMetadataInfo(StubEntity::class)
+        );
+        $this->assertInstanceOf(
+            EntityMapper::class, $driver->getMappers()->getMapperFor(StubEntity::class)
+        );
+
+        $driver->loadMetadataForClass(
+            StubEmbeddable::class, new ClassMetadataInfo(StubEmbeddable::class)
+        );
+        $this->assertInstanceOf(
+            EmbeddableMapper::class, $driver->getMappers()->getMapperFor(StubEmbeddable::class)
+        );
+
+        $driver->loadMetadataForClass(
+            StubMappedSuperClass::class, new ClassMetadataInfo(StubMappedSuperClass::class)
+        );
+        $this->assertInstanceOf(
+            MappedSuperClassMapper::class, $driver->getMappers()->getMapperFor(StubMappedSuperClass::class)
+        );
+
+        $driver->loadMetadataForClass(
+            FakeEntity::class, new ClassMetadataInfo(FakeEntity::class)
+        );
+        $this->assertInstanceOf(
+            EntityMapper::class, $driver->getMappers()->getMapperFor(FakeEntity::class)
+        );
+    }
 }
 
 class FakeClassMapping extends EntityMapping