Shekel
From Free net encyclopedia
Shekel, also spelled sheqel, refers to one of many ancient units of weight and currency. The first known usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. The plural can be shekels, sheqels or sheqalim (the latter being the plural in Hebrew). In some regions of the United States, the term is used informally for "money," particularly in situations where value is an important consideration.
Image:Sheqel of Israel ca 68 AD.jpg It most commonly refers to an ancient Hebrew unit of weight. As with many ancient units, the shekel represented a variety of values depending on date, domain and region. Sources quote weights between 9 and 17 grams and values of 11, 14, and 17 grams are common. It can be a gold or silver coin equal in weight to one of these units, especially the chief silver coin of the Hebrews.
The shekel was commonly used among other western Semitic peoples as well. Moabites, Edomites and Canaanites (also known as Phoenicians) all used the shekel, the latter as coinage as well as for a unit of weight. Punic coinage was based on the shekel, a heritage from their Canaanite ancestors.
Silver Tyrian shekels are thought to be the infamous "30 pieces of silver" in the New Testament.
Since 1980, the sheqel has been the currency of the modern state of Israel, first the Israeli sheqel, then (since 1985) the Israeli new sheqel. As of January 16, 2006, 1 US Dollar equals approximately 4.60 NIS (New Israeli Shekel, also referred to as ILS), 1 Euro equals approximately 5.6 NIS, and 1 pound sterling equals approximately 8.16325 NIS. There are 100 agorot to a shekel.
The shekel is also a unit of measurement in New Crobuzon, the setting of China Mieville's Bas-Lag series, and the nickname of one of the main characters in The Scar.
See also
fr:Shekel gl:Novo Sheqel he:שקל it:Sheqel nl:Sjekel pl:Szekel pt:Novo sheqel israelense ru:Шекель sv:Shekel yi:ניי-שקל