A stone tablet that had been left abandoned on the road for decades has been confirmed as the oldest 'Ten Commandments tablet' and will be auctioned in New York next month. The auction price for the tablet is expected to reach up to $2 million (approximately 2.8 billion KRW).
According to CNN on the 13th (local time), the auction house Sotheby's will hold an auction on the 18th of next month in New York for the Ten Commandments tablet created 1,500 years ago during the Roman-Byzantine era. Weighing about 52 kg and measuring approximately 61 cm in height, this tablet was discovered in 1913 at a railway construction site in southern Israel. The site is close to the remains of an early Jewish synagogue, mosque, and church.
Immediately after its discovery, the tablet was not recognized for its historical value and was used as a road stone for decades. However, in 1943, it came into the hands of a scholar who recognized its value. The tablet contains only nine of the Ten Commandments from the Book of Exodus in Hebrew. The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Old Testament.
Sotheby's described the Ten Commandments from the Book of Exodus as "the cornerstone of law and morality" and "a foundational document of Western civilization." They also stated that the tablet is not only a very important historical artifact but also "a tangible link to the beliefs that helped shape Western civilization."
Furthermore, Sotheby's explained that the original location of the tablet was likely destroyed either by Roman invasions between 400 and 600 BCE or as a result of the Crusades in the late 11th century. The auction price of the tablet is expected to reach up to $2 million (approximately 2.8 billion KRW).
At last year's Sotheby's auction, a Hebrew Bible over 1,000 years old was sold for $38.1 million (approximately 5.36 billion KRW). This is the second-highest price ever recorded for a historical document. The most expensive historical document in the world was recorded three years ago when billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin purchased a first edition of the U.S. Constitution for $43.2 million (approximately 6.07 billion KRW).
Meanwhile, the tablet will be on display at Sotheby's New York gallery from December 5th ahead of the auction.
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