Archaeology

The Pilate Stone

Era: 1st century AD
Location: Caesarea Maritima, Israel
Discovered: 1961

A limestone block bearing a Latin inscription that names "Pontius Pilatus, Prefect of Judea" — direct epigraphic confirmation of the very Roman governor who tried Jesus.

The find

Discovered in 1961 by Italian archaeologist Antonio Frova during excavations of the Roman theater at Caesarea Maritima, the stone had been reused as a step. The partial inscription reads "[…]S TIBERIEVM / [PON]TIVS PILATVS / [PRAEF]ECTVS IVDA[EA]E" — Pontius Pilatus, Prefect of Judaea. Before this find, Pilate was attested only in literary sources (the Gospels, Josephus, Tacitus, Philo).

Why it matters

It confirms the historicity, the name, and even the exact title of the Roman official who condemned Jesus. The title "Prefect" (not the later "Procurator") matches the correct early-first-century usage and lines up with the Gospel accounts.

Cross-linked Scripture

Doctrine check

Sources

·Israel Museum catalog: Pilate Inscription
·Frova, A. (1961). L'iscrizione di Ponzio Pilato a Cesarea. Rendiconti dell'Istituto Lombardo, 95: 419-434