The oldest stone tablet with the Ten Commandments is up for auction.
Auctioneer Sotheby's said it will hold an auction in New York on the 18th of next month for the Ten Commandments stone tablets made during the Roman-Vizantine era 1,500 years ago.
The stone tablet, which weighs about 52 kg and is about 61 cm high, was found at a railway construction site in southern Israel in 1913, but was not recognized for its historical value at the time and was used as a road seat for decades.
The stone tablets fell into the hands of a scholar who only recognized their value in 1943, and now only nine of the ten commandments of the Hebrew language of Exodus remain.
Sotheby's introduced the Ten Commandments in Exodus as "the cornerstone of law and morality" and "the fundamental document of Western civilization."
The auction price of the stone tablet is expected to reach up to 2 million dollars and 2.8 billion won in our money.
Sotheby's gave significance to the lithographs as not only very important historical artifacts, but also as a visible link to the beliefs that helped shape Western civilization.
Sotheby's explained that the original stone tablet was likely destroyed as a result of Roman invasions in 400-600 BC or the Crusades in the late 11th century.
Last year, a 1,000-year-old Hebrew Bible was sold for $38.1 million and about 53.6 billion won in our money at Sotheby's auction.
The stone tablets will be on display at Sotheby's New York Exhibition Center from Dec. 5, prior to the auction.
※ 'Your report becomes news'
[Kakao Talk] YTN Search and Add Channel
[Phone] 02-398-8585
[Mail] social@ytn.co.kr
[Copyright holder (c) YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution and use of AI data prohibited]