Shekel

Shekel (sheqel, Akkadian: šiqlu or siqlu, Hebrew: שקל‎, pl. shekels, sheqels, sheqalim, Hebrew: שקלים‎), 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).