Shekel
Ancient unit of currency / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the ancient currency. For the present currency of the State of Israel, see Israeli new shekel. For the Talmudic tractate, see Shekalim (Tractate).
Shekel or sheqel (Akkadian: 𒅆𒅗𒇻, romanized: šiqlu, siqlu; Hebrew: שקל, romanized: šeqel, plural Hebrew: שקלים, romanized: šəqālim, Phoenician: 𐤔𐤒𐤋) is an ancient Mesopotamian coin, usually of silver. A shekel was first a unit of weight—very roughly 11 grams (0.35 ozt)—and became currency in ancient Tyre and Carthage and then in Hasmonean Judea.