Oldest Ten Commandments Tablet Shatters Auction Records, Selling for $5 Million at Sotheby’s

BY ALBERT CHEN

In a stunning moment for history and collectors alike, the oldest inscribed tablet of the Ten Commandments has achieved an extraordinary $5 million price tag at Sotheby’s New York, far exceeding its pre-auction estimate of $1-2 million. The artifact, a singular treasure from the Late Roman-Byzantine era (ca. 300-800 CE), is believed to be the only complete stone inscription of the commandments surviving from antiquity.

Weighing an impressive 115 pounds and standing two feet tall, the marble tablet carries 20 lines of Paleo-Hebrew script that preserve nine of the commandments from the Book of Exodus. Remarkably, the text diverges from its Biblical counterparts, omitting the commandment against taking the Lord’s name in vain while including a Samaritan-specific directive to worship on Mount Gerizim, a sacred site central to Samaritan tradition.

Discovered in 1913 along Israel’s southern coast during railway construction, the tablet’s initial significance went unnoticed. For three decades, it was used as a mundane paving stone at the entrance to a local home, its inscription enduring decades of foot traffic before it was recognized in 1943 by a scholar as a rare Samaritan Decalogue. The tablet is thought to have once been prominently displayed in a synagogue or private residence before its site of origin was destroyed during ancient conflicts, possibly the Roman invasions of the 5th century or the Crusades.

Richard Austin, Sotheby’s Global Head of Books & Manuscripts, called the piece “a tangible link to the beliefs that helped shape Western civilization,” emphasizing the profound cultural and religious significance of the artifact. “This remarkable tablet allows us to journey through millennia and connect with faiths and traditions that continue to shape our world.”

Oldest Ten Commandments Tablet © Sotheby’s

The sale has captivated collectors, historians, and cultural enthusiasts alike, marking a rare opportunity to own a piece of humanity’s shared heritage. The bidding war reflected this universal appeal, with fierce competition driving the final price to an unprecedented $5 million, setting a record for any artifact of this kind.

Scholars have noted the artifact’s significance not just for its religious connotations but for its historical resonance. The text exemplifies the moral and ethical principles that underpin both Jewish and Christian traditions, serving as a bridge between ancient civilizations and the modern world.

The tablet has been on display at Sotheby’s since December 5, drawing crowds eager to witness what Austin described as “a shared piece of cultural heritage.” With its sale, the artifact now embarks on the next chapter of its extraordinary journey, passing into private ownership while continuing to symbolize the enduring legacy of the moral code that has shaped human history.

As the gavel fell at Sotheby’s, history was made not just in dollars but in the enduring fascination with one of the world’s oldest moral codes—a reminder of humanity’s quest for meaning, justice, and faith across millennia.

BY ALBERT CHEN

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