The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sold for more than US$5 million (NZ$8.9 million) at an auction today.
Sotheby’s said the 52-kilogram marble slab was acquired by an anonymous buyer who plans to donate it to an Israeli institution.
The New York-based auction house said the final price exceeded the presale estimate of US$1 million (NZ$1.8 million) to US$2 million (NZ$2.5 million) and followed more than 10 minutes of "intense bidding" during the global competition.
The tablet dates from 300 to 800 A.D. and is inscribed with the commandments in Paleo-Hebrew script — the only complete example of its kind from antiquity, according to Sotheby's.
It was unearthed during railroad excavations along the southern coast of Israel in 1913 and was not recognised as historically significant at first.
Sotheby's said the tablet was used as a paving stone at a local home until 1943 when it was sold to a scholar who grasped its significance.
The 52-kilogram marble slab inscribed with the commandments in Paleo-Hebrew script will be auctioned this month.
World
Tue, Dec 10
"A tangible link to ancient beliefs that have profoundly shaped global religious and cultural traditions, it serves as a rare testament to history," the auction house said.
The text inscribed on the slab follows the Biblical verses familiar to Christian and Jewish traditions but omits the third commandment against taking the name of the Lord in vain. It includes a new directive to worship on Mount Gerizim, a holy site specific to the Samaritans, Sotheby's said.
