Sunday, August 2, 2015

Pilate's Inscription Found at Caesarea

Blogger: Amber Schamel

In today's society, many are questioning the authenticity of the Bible. That's why it is so exciting to me when archeologists make discoveries that confirm what has been written in the Bible. One such find was the Pilate Inscription in Caesarea, Israel. 

There are actually two Caesareas in Israel, Caesarea Philippi and Caesarea Martima (which means "on the sea"). The one we are speaking of today is Caesarea Martima. Both are very important Biblical sites. We'll cover Caesarea Philippi next month.

Caesarea on the Sea

Caesarea was, of course, named in honor of the Caesar Augustus. It was a port city that was founded by Herod the Great around 25-13 B.C. This city is recorded in the historical writings of Josephus, and the ruins are still visible today.  After visiting Caesarea Martima in 2012, I couldn't resist writing it in as a location in The Messiah's Sign. It is such a fascinating site.

One interesting note about this city was the sophisticated lighthouse-type structure that stood at it's harbor. A stone tower with a flame at the top guided ships into the marina.

The Pilate Stone
The ruins of the ancient Roman Theater at Caesarea Martima

In June of 1961, an Italian archeologist was excavating the ancient Roman theater when they came across an interesting limestone block. The team, led by Dr. Frova, uncovered the stone and found upon its face a Latin inscription that reads:
To the Divine Augusti [this] Tiberieum
...Pontius Pilate
...prefect of Judea
...has dedicated [this]
According to this inscription, Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea was dedicating this Tiberieum to Caesar Augustus. 

Support of Biblical Text

This discovery is the first and only mention of Pontius Pilate, the governor that ordered Jesus' crucifixion, on any ancient inscription. It is a very important find, because it verifies the apostle's accounts of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Not only does it record Pilate's name, but also his position, which is agreeable to the Biblical claim in Luke 3:1:


Historians believe that Pilate most likely used Caesarea as a headquarters, and only traveled to Jerusalem when necessary. This belief is supported by the verse in Luke 23:6-7 which reads:


The fact that Herod was "Also at Jerusalem at that time" would lead us to believe that both Herod and Pilate typically resided elsewhere. 

The original Pilate Stone is now housed in the Israeli Museum in Jerusalem, (pictured below), but they have created a replica that rests on-site at Caesarea Martima.

"Pontius Pilate Inscription" by BRBurton
-Licensed under CC0
Amber Schamel is the author of the Days of Messiah series, and the Amazon Bestseller, The Swaddling Clothes. She writes Biblical and historical fiction that brings HIStory to Life. Visit her at, or connect on Goodreads and other social media sites.


  1. Very interesting information on Pontius Pilate. We visited Israel 2 times, but I don't remember hearing about this. It was back in 1995, so I'm sure there are many, many artifacts that have been discovered since then. sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com

  2. We visited Caesarea way back in 1976. It's fascinating to visit many of the places mentioned in the Bible. One of my favorite places was Tiberias. Beautiful place.