A rare stone tablet engraved with the 10 Commandments was sold for a staggering $5 million at an auction organized by Sotheby’s in New York on Wednesday. The historic artifact, weighing 115 pounds (52 kilograms), drew significant attention despite lingering questions about its authenticity and origins.
The tablet, believed to date back to between 300 and 800 CE, was discovered in 1913 in modern-day Israel during excavations for a rail line. Written in Paleo-Hebrew script, it is considered one of the oldest known examples of the biblical commandments.
However, it only contains nine of the traditional ten commandments revered in Jewish and Christian traditions, missing the prohibition against taking the Lord’s name in vain.
Sotheby’s had initially estimated the sale price at $1-2 million, but intense bidding drove the final figure to $5 million, including fees.
Sharon Liberman Mintz, a Judaica expert at Sotheby’s, expressed excitement, stating, “It’s been thrilling to work with this object of antiquity. There is no other stone like it in private hands.”
The tablet was privately held for years before being acquired by an archaeologist in Israel who recognized its significance. It later became part of the Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn.
While Sotheby’s highlighted the artifact’s scholarly importance, some experts voiced skepticism.
Christopher Rollston, a professor of Biblical studies, questioned the lack of documentation from 1913, suggesting the possibility of forgery. “Objects from this region of the world are rife with fakes,” added Brian Daniels of the Penn Cultural Heritage Center.
