The oldest known stone tablet featuring the Ten Commandments, dated between 300 and 800 A.D., is set to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s auction in New York on December 18.
Weighing 155 pounds (52 kilograms), the marble slab is inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew script and holds both religious and historical significance. It was unearthed during railway excavations in southern Israel in 1913 but initially overlooked and used as a paving stone in a local home.
The artifact’s importance was only recognized in 1943 when it was acquired by a scholar. Notably, the tablet’s inscription deviates from traditional versions by omitting the third commandment and adding a directive to worship on Mount Gerizim, a sacred site for the Samaritans.
Sotheby’s expects the relic to fetch between $1 million and $2 million at auction.
