The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments, containing 20 lines closely related to the Bible text, will go up for auction.
sotheby's will auction off “one of the most widely known and influential documents in history” on December 18th.
“Encountering this shared cultural heritage means connecting with cultures and beliefs that have traveled through thousands of years and are told through one of humanity's oldest and most enduring moral codes.”
A well-known auction house is offering a single lot of ancient stone tablets featuring inscriptions of the Ten Commandments.
Experts believe the rare artifact, thought to be about 1,500 years old, could be worth between $1 million and $2 million.
The last time the tablet was on sale was in 2016, when the relic was sold for 1 yen. $850,000 At Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills, California.
The world's oldest known complete stone inscription of the Ten Commandments was rediscovered in 1913 during railroad construction near Israel's southern coast, near the site of an earlier synagogue, mosque, and church. Ta.
Remarkably, this precious relic was a paving stone at the entrance to a local house, with the inscription facing upwards and exposed to foot traffic.
“Some of the writing in the central part of the inscription is blurred but can still be read under proper lighting. This is due to the burial conditions and the foot traffic in the courtyard,” Heritage said. said David Michaels, the company's director of ancient coins. I was told it was an auction. CNN In 2016.
In 1943, the tablet was purchased by Y. Kaplan, the city's archaeologist. According to smithsonian magazineKaplan identified this tablet as the Samaritan Ten Commandments, an important part of religious history.
This priceless ancient relic is said to have been carved by Samaritans between 300 and 500 AD.
The Samaritans were an ancient group of people who lived in the central region of the nation of Israel, and whose beliefs were rooted in the Old Testament.
The Samaritan Ten Commandments are similar to the Jewish Ten Commandments, but focus on the religious sanctity of Mount Gerizim rather than Mount Zion.
Late Byzantine artifacts list only the nine commandments from Exodus, omitting “Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.”
Archaeologists believe that the original site of the tablets was likely destroyed either during the Roman invasions of 400 to 600 AD or during the Crusades of the 11th century.
The slate weighs 115 pounds and is approximately 2 feet tall. The marble slabs are carved with Old Hebrew letters.
Described as Israel's “national treasure,” the white marble slab features 20 lines of text carved into the stone that closely follow Bible verses “familiar to both Christian and Jewish traditions,” according to Sotheby's. are.
said Sharon Liberman Mintz, Sotheby's senior international expert on Jews, books, and manuscripts. art news“We knew how powerful the object was and were really excited to be able to sell it to the public.”
“This is truly one of a kind. It's one of the most important historical artifacts I've ever worked with,” Mintz added.
“This remarkable tablet is not only an extremely important historical artifact, but also an emblem of beliefs that helped shape Western civilization,” Richard Austin, global head of books and manuscripts at Sotheby's, said in a statement. It's also a connection between us and our shared cultural heritage.” It's about traveling through thousands of years and connecting with the cultures and beliefs that spoke to us through one of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. ”
The stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments will go on public display at Sotheby's in New York City starting December 5th.
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