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Oldest Known Ten Commandments Tablet in Paleo-Hebrew Script Sold for $5.04 Million to Anonymous Buyer for Israeli Institution

Dec 18, 2024, 08:21 PM

The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments was sold at auction for $5.04 million by Sotheby's in New York. The 155-pound, 52-kilogram marble slab, dating from 300 to 800 A.D., was acquired by an anonymous buyer who plans to donate it to an Israeli institution. The tablet, inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew script, is the only complete example of its kind from antiquity. It was discovered in 1913 during railroad excavations along the southern coast of Israel and initially used as a paving stone until its historical significance was recognized in 1943. The text on the tablet follows Biblical verses familiar to Christian and Jewish traditions but omits the third commandment against taking the name of the Lord in vain, instead including a directive to worship on Mount Gerizim, a holy site for Samaritans. Despite some doubts about its authenticity, the final price exceeded the presale estimate of $1 million to $2 million after over 10 minutes of intense bidding.