The oldest stone tablet with the Ten Commandments to be auctioned
In December, an auction will be held in New York featuring a tablet with the Ten Commandments, discovered in Israel in 1913 and dated to the 3rd–8th centuries.
The oldest known stone tablet with the Ten Commandments will be auctioned by Sotheby’s on December 18 in New York, according to information published on the auction house’s website.
The artifact weighs 52 kg, with text inscribed on the slab in Paleo-Hebrew. It is dated between 300 and 800 CE.
The unique find was uncovered in 1913 during the construction of a railway in southern Israel. Initially mistaken for an ordinary stone, it was used as a building material until 1943, when a scholar recognized its historical significance.
The tablet likely adorned a synagogue or private home and was lost after destruction during the Roman era or the Crusades. The text on the stone, similar to the biblical commandments, highlights a cultural heritage connecting beliefs and eras.
Interestingly, the text differs from the traditional biblical commandments: the third commandment is absent, and an instruction to worship on Mount Gerizim — a sacred site for Samaritans — is added. Sotheby’s estimates the lot’s value at $1–2 million.
It was previously reported that a minimalist painting by Robert Ryman from 1970, representing a white canvas, was auctioned at Ketterer in Germany with an estimate of €1–1.5 million. Read more here.
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