Auction house records or media reports on auction results

1,500-Year-Old Ten Commandments Tablet Sold for $5.04 Million at Sotheby's in New York

Dec 19, 2024, 01:00 AM

A 1,500-year-old marble tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments was auctioned at Sotheby's in New York for $5.04 million. The tablet, weighing 52 kilograms and dating from between 300 and 800 A.D., is considered the oldest known complete example of its kind. Discovered in 1913 during railroad excavations in what is now Israel, it was initially used as a paving stone for about 30 years before its historical significance was recognized. The tablet features inscriptions in Paleo-Hebrew script, containing nine of the commandments found in the Bible and Torah, but omits the third commandment against taking the Lord's name in vain. Instead, it includes a directive to worship on Mount Gerizim, a site sacred to the Samaritans. The final sale price exceeded the pre-sale estimate of $1 million to $2 million following over 10 minutes of intense bidding. The anonymous buyer plans to donate the artifact to an Israeli institution.