    shekel (sheqel, akkadian: Å¡iqlu or siqlu, , pl. shekels, sheqels, sheqalim, hebrew: ), is any of several ancient units of weight or of currency. the first usage is from mesopotamia around 3000 bc. initially, it may have referred to a weight of barley. this shekel was about 180 grains (11 grams or .35 troy ounces). ==etymology== the hebrew word shekel is based on the verbal root for "weighing" (sh.q.l), cognate to the akkadian Å¡iqlu or siqlu, a unit of weight equivalent to the sumerian gin2. use of the word was first attested in c. 2150 bc during the akkadian empire under the reign of  naram-sin, and later in c. 1700 bc in the code of hammurabi. the sh.q.l root is found in the hebrew words for "to weigh" (shaqal), "weight" (mishqal) and "consideration" (shiqqul), and is related to the t.q.l root in aramaic and the th.q.l root in arabic, such as in the arabic word for "heavy", thaqil. the famous writing on the wall in the biblical book of daniel includes a cryptic use of the word in aramaic: "mene, mene, teqel, u-farsin". the word "shekel" came in to the english language via the hebrew bible, where it is first used in the book of genesis. ==the early shekels==  the earliest shekels were a unit of weight, used as other units such as grams and troy ounces for trading before the advent of coins. coins were used and may have been invented by the early anatolian traders who stamped their marks to avoid weighing each time used. early coins were money stamped with an official seal to certify their weight. silver ingots, some with markings were issued. later authorities decided who designed coins. herodotus states that the first coinage was issued by croesus, king of lydia, spreading to the golden daric (worth 20 [[achaemenid c
Ancient_currencies Currencies_of_Israel Units_of_mass