The oldest known tablet featuring the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament is set to be auctioned next month, with an estimated value of up to $2 million.
According to CNN, the stone is believed to be around 1,500 years old from the Late Roman-Byzantine period and an extraordinary relic from the ancient world, yet it remained lost to history for centuries.
The stone contains 20 lines of text closely mirroring biblical verses shared by Jewish and Christians traditions.
However, it includes only nice of the Ten Commandments, ignoring Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain" and replacing it with a command to worship on Mount Gerizim.
It was discovered near the locations of early synagogues, mosques and churches and is engraved with the Ten Biblical Commandments in Paleo-Hebrew script.
According to the press statement by Sotheby’s art gallery the stone was originally purchased by a scholar in 1943, as the unidentified buyer “recognized it as an important Samaritan Decalogue featuring the divine precepts central to many faiths, one that may have originally been displayed in a synagogue or a private dwelling.”
Sotheby’s also stated that the tablet's original location was likely destroyed during the Roman invasions of 400-600 CE or during the Crusades in the late 11th century.
To note, the auction will be held on December 18, with the tablet available to view at Sotheby’s New York showroom starting December 5.
