- LATIN
(with suggested reconstruction) [DIS AUGUSTI]S TIBERIEUM
[. . . . PO]NTIUS PILATUS
[. . .PRAEF]ECTUS IUDA[EA]E
[. .FECIT D]E[DICAVIT]
TRANSLATION by K. C. Hanson & Douglas E. Oakman
" To the honorable gods (this) Tiberium Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea, had dedicated".
Wasn’t long ago when many scholars were questioning the actual existence of a Roman Governor with the name Pontius Pilate, the procurator who ordered Jesus’ crucifixion. In June 1961 Italian archaeologists led by Dr. Frova were excavating an ancient Roman amphitheater near Caesarea-on-the-Sea (Maritima) and uncovered this interesting limestone block.
On the face is a monumental inscription which is part of a larger dedication to Tiberius Caesar which clearly says that it was from “Pontius Pilate,
Prefect of Judea.
It reads:
Line One: TIBERIEUM,
Line Two: (PON) TIUS
Line Three: (PRAEF) ECTUS IUDA (EAE).
This is the only known occurrence of the name Pontius Pilate in any ancient inscription. Visitors to Caesarea’s theater today see a replica, the original is in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Language: Latin
Medium: limestone
Size: 82 centimeters high 65 centimeters wide
Length: 4 lines of writing
Genre: Building Dedication
Dedicator: Pontius Pilate (praefect of Judea)
Approximate Date: 26–37 CE
Place of Discovery: Caesarea, Israel
Date of Discovery: 1961 Chief Excavator: Antonio Frova Current Location: Israel Museum (Jerusalem)
Inventory number: AE 1963 no. 104
[URL='http://www.kchanson.com/ANCDOCS/latin/pilate.html']K.C. Hanson's site: Pilate Inscription[/URL]
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