BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — The world’s earliest-known stone inscription of the 10 Commandments sold for $850,000 including the buyer’s premium, on Wednesday, November 16, at Heritage’s auction of ancient Biblical archaeology artifacts from the Living Torah Museum. The two-foot-square slab of white marble, which weighs almost 115 pounds, is chiseled with 20 lines of letters in Samaritan script, derived jointly from Hebrew and Aramaic, and lists 9 of the 10 Mosaic commandments.

The tablet likely adorned the entrance of a synagogue destroyed by the Romans between CE 400 and 600, or by the Crusaders in the Eleventh Century, said Heritage Auctions Director of Ancient Coins and Antiquities David Michaels. The tablet opened with a $300,000 bid, but a war between two phone bidders pushed the auction price to $850,000—the winning bidder does not wish to be identified at this time.

Although considered a “National Treasure” of Israel, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) approved export of the piece to the United States in 2005 on the condition that it be displayed in a public museum, a condition that still remains, according to Michaels, “The sale of this tablet does not mean it will be hidden away from the public, . . . The new owner is under obligation to display the tablet for the benefit of the public.”

A full review will be forthcoming as will information on the buyer of this rare tablet, once it is available.