One of the world’s most extraordinary artifacts is about to go on auction for a jaw-dropping price.
On December 18, Sotheby’s will auction the Yavne Tablet, a 114-pound marble slab inscribed with the Ten Commandments in Paleo-Hebrew, dating back to the late Roman-Byzantine era (300–800 AD).
This ancient treasure is roughly the size of a small suitcase, measures 24 by 22 inches, and bears 20 lines of text spelling out the Mosaic Decalogue.
The Tablet Has a Price Tag of $1-2 Million
Unearthed by accident during railroad construction in the Middle East in 1913, the 1,500-year-old stone was initially overlooked and used as a paving slab in a local home.
It wasn’t until 1943 that a scholar recognized its monumental significance. The tablet is expected to fetch $1-2 million.
Why is It So Important?
According to Sotheby’s, this artifact stands out as “the earliest surviving complete inscribed stone tablet of the Ten Commandments.”
It is the first tablet to depict commandments central to Jewish beliefs.
