'Helped shape Western civilization': Oldest stone tablet of the Ten Commandments up for auction — could be worth millions

The oldest-known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments that includes 20 lines closely related to biblical texts is going to auction.

Sotheby’s will auction "one of the most widely known and influential texts in history" on Dec. 18.

'To encounter this shared piece of cultural heritage is to journey through millennia and connect with cultures and faiths told through one of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes.'

The prestigious auction house is putting up the ancient stone tablet featuring an inscription of the Ten Commandments in a single-lot sale.

Experts believe the cherished artifact — which is thought to be approximately 1,500 years old — could command between $1 million and $2 million.

The last time the stone tablet was up for sale was in 2016, when the artifact was sold for $850,000 at a Heritage Auction in Beverly Hills, California.

The world’s earliest-known complete stone inscription of the Ten Commandments was rediscovered in 1913 during the construction of a railway near Israel's southern coast, near the sites of early synagogues, mosques, and churches.

Amazingly, the precious relic was a paving stone at the entrance to a local home, with the inscription facing upwards and exposed to foot traffic.

“Some of the letters of the central part of the inscription are blurred — but still readable under proper lighting — either from the conditions of its burial or foot traffic while it was resting in the courtyard,” David Michaels, director of ancient coins for Heritage Auctions, told CNN in 2016.

In 1943, the stone tablet was purchased by Y. Kaplan, a municipal archaeologist. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Kaplan identified the slab as a Samaritan Decalogue — an important piece of religious history.

The precious antiquity was reportedly carved by the Samaritans circa 300-500 AD.

The Samaritans were an ancient group of people who lived in the central region of the land of Israel and whose beliefs were rooted in the Old Testament.

The Samaritan Decalogue is similar to the Jewish Ten Commandments but focuses on the religious sanctity of Mount Gerizim instead of Mount Zion.

The artifact from the late Byzantine period only lists nine of the commandments found in the Book of Exodus, omitting “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.”

Archaeologists believe the original site of the stone tablet was likely destroyed during either the Roman invasions of 400-600 AD or during the Crusades in the 11th century.

The stone slab weighs 115 pounds and stands approximately two feet in height. The marble tablet is chiseled in Paleo-Hebrew script.

The slab of white marble — described as a “national treasure” of Israel — features 20 lines of text incised on the stone that closely follow the biblical verses "familiar to both Christian and Jewish traditions," according to Sotheby's.

Sharon Liberman Mintz — Sotheby’s international senior specialist of Judaica, books, and manuscripts — told ARTnews, "We understood how powerful the object was, and we were really thrilled to be able to offer it for sale to the public."

“This is really one-of-a-kind," Mintz added. "It's one of the most important historic artifacts that I’ve ever handled."

Richard Austin, Sotheby’s global head of books and manuscripts, said in a statement, "This remarkable tablet is not only a vastly important historic artifact, but a tangible link to the beliefs that helped shape Western civilization. To encounter this shared piece of cultural heritage is to journey through millennia and connect with cultures and faiths told through one of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes.”

The stone tablet with the Ten Commandments will be on public display at Sotheby’s in New York City beginning on Dec. 5.

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