Gallio Inscription from Delphi, Greece, 52 C.E., holylandphotos.org.
The so-called Gallio Inscription is a collection of nine fragments, one of which is pictured here, of a letter written by the Roman emperor Claudius in 52 C.E. The fragments were found in Delphi, near the temple of Apollo, in Greece. Delphi was the site of the most important oracle in the classical world, the Pythia, a priestess of the temple of Apollo. In the Gallio Inscription, the emperor describes the sad situation in Delphi in the first century C.E., when there were no more citizens living in the city. Claudius writes of receiving advice on the subject from a procounsul named Gallio, the Roman senator who dismissed the charge brought by the Jews against Paul in Acts. Thus, the inscription serves as an important archaeological marker in reconstructing the chronology of Paul’s life.
