Earliest known stone version of Ten Commandments up for auction

[Khadgar]

(CNN)The earliest known stone inscription of the Ten Commandments is being auctioned in Beverly Hills on November 16, with an opening bid of $250,000 -- and a stipulation that any owner must put the tablet on public display.

Described as a "national treasure" of Israel, the stone was first uncovered in 1913 during excavations for a railroad station near Yavneh in Israel and is the only intact tablet version of the Commandments thought to exist.

Bidding for this ancient tablet of the 10 Commandments will start at $250,000.

"The tablet's significance is testament to the deep roots and enduring power of the Commandments that still form the basis of three of the world's great religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam," says David Michaels, director of ancient coins for Heritage Auctions, who will be conducting the sale.
"Its surface is worn, battered and encrusted in places, but running a gloved finger over it does produce, in some people, a particular thrill of touching a piece of Bible history."

Buried for centuries

The two-foot-square (0.18 square meter), 115-pound (52 kg) marble slab is inscribed in an early Hebrew script called Samaritan and most likely adorned a Samaritan synagogue or home in the ancient town of Jabneel, Palestine, which is now Yavneh in modern Israel, according to Michaels.
It lists nine of the 10 commonly known Biblical Commandments from the Book of Exodus, with an additional Commandment to worship on the sacred mountain of Mount Gerizim, near Nablus, which is a now a city in the West Bank.

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in Vain" was deliberately left off the list to keep the total number of Commandments to 10, according to scholars.

Michaels says that the tablet's home was either destroyed by the Romans between 400 and 600 AD, or by the Crusaders in the 11th century, and that the stone had lain buried in the rubble of the ruins for centuries before its discovery near Yavneh.

"The workmen who found it did not recognize its importance and either sold or gave it to a local Arab man, who set the stone into the threshold of a room leading to his inner courtyard, with the inscription facing up," Michaels says.

"Some of the letters of the central part of the inscription are blurred -- but still readable under proper lighting -- either from the conditions of its burial or foot traffic while it was resting in the courtyard."

Thirty years later, in 1943, the man's son sold the stone to a Mr. Y. Kaplan, a municipal archaeologist.

"He immediately recognized its importance as an extremely rare 'Samaritan Decalogue,' one of five such known stone inscriptions that date to the late Roman-Byzantine era (300-640 CE) or just after the Muslim invasion of the seventh century CE," adds Michaels.

CE is a term used in academic texts and refers to "Common Era", which is more commonly known as AD.

Anyone planning on making a bid?

[Medusa Cascade]

Could make for a great toilet seat

[IIamaKing]

Pieces of history like this always amaze me. It providence is moot, simply the age of the item., For something of such import to some one or someones , its astounding for it to survive.

[Tradewind]

Depending on the back face, if it's nice and smooth it could make a nice joint rolling table.

[the game]

[Kalis]

Depending on the back face, if it's nice and smooth it could make a nice joint rolling table.

The marks on the front don't look all that deep, you could probably just sand them out.

[Deleted]

Well now... There's an investment that's going to steadily be losing value.

[the game]

The marks on the front don't look all that deep, you could probably just sand them out.

Not gonna lie. It took me a minute to get that one.

[Powerogue]

So even with something that ancient, they couldn't agree on which commandments were canon, having an extra one on there. Fascinating.

[Tradewind]

So even with something that ancient, they couldn't agree on which commandments were canon, having an extra one on there. Fascinating.

#11 Be excellent to each other.

[Kalis]

#11 Be excellent to each other.

#12 Jacob has to do the washing up.

[Tradewind]

#12 Jacob has to do the washing up.

#13 There was a typo, it said to "cut your ducks." The home office apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.

[Garnier Fructis]

It should be on display in a museum.

[ParanoiD84]

Should be on a museum not some greedy asshole that will sell it for more later on.

[Poopymonster]

So even with something that ancient, they couldn't agree on which commandments were canon, having an extra one on there. Fascinating.

[OperationFerret]

On Amazon there are glass coasters made of stone available for 18.99$ so I see no reason to pay 250,000$.

[Khadgar]

Should be on a museum not some greedy asshole that will sell it for more later on.

the first sentence says...

"a stipulation that any owner must put the tablet on public display"

[ParanoiD84]

the first sentence says...

"a stipulation that any owner must put the tablet on public display"

Didnt read that far so how does that work then, you let other people put it out for show for you with a little note with your name next to it?

But sounds good that it will not just sit in someones closet.

[Hotmail]

So much edge in this thread. If I wasn't saving money for a house to put a roof above the head of my traditional family unit, I would definitely place a bid on this vital piece of history.

[ranzino]

Paah, i would buy it just to shatter it. Period