The artifact I chose is a Roman building inscription from Caesarea Maritima in the province of Iudaea. It dates to about 26–36 AD and is carved in Latin on a block of limestone. It was discovered in 1961 in the theater at Caesarea, where it had been reused in later construction. The stone is now in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The inscription is fragmentary, but enough survives to identify it clearly.

The text includes the name Pontius Pilatus and his title, prefect of Judea. It also mentions a structure called the “Tiberieum,” which was likely a building dedicated to the emperor Tiberius. Even though parts of the inscription are missing, scholars agree that it records Pilate’s role in building or repairing this building. The large letters suggest it was meant to be publicly displayed.

Looking at where Roman inscriptions are found, many appear in public places like theaters, temples, and city centers. This shows that Romans were used to seeing writing in stone as part of everyday civic life. Inscriptions were a way to connect officials to imperial power and to make achievements visible and permanent.

MacMullen calls this widespread use of public inscriptions the “epigraphic habit.” Digital databases and photographs now allow people to see and compare inscriptions from across the empire. Even if we are not standing in front of the stone ourselves, these tools help us understand how common and important public writing was in Roman society.