The inscription on the stone, translated from Latin to English, reads as follows:
"To the divine Augusti [this] Tiberium
...Pontius Pilate
...prefect of Judea
...has dedicated [this]"
The Pilate Stone was discovered in 1961 by Italian archaeologists, in the ruins of a Roman theatre at Caesarea Maritima. It is roughly dated to the years 26-37 CE. It is significant because it is the only physical evidence of Pilate to date. Pontius Pilate is mentioned in the four Gospels, and also by Tacitus (c. 56-117 CE), a historian of the Roman Empire, Josephus (c. 37-100 CE), a Jewish historian, and Philo (c. 20 BCE-50 CE), a Jewish philosopher.
The Pilate Stone is currently housed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
