Shekel

The shekel, more precisely new shekel, is the currency of the State of Israel since 1985. Its symbol is: ₪

Older usages of the name "shekel"

The previous currency of the State of Israel was named "shekel" already, today known as the old shekel. It was used from 1980 till 1985.

The same name has been used earlier in history to refer to various currencies used in the Ancient Near East (i.e. the antique cultures in the region currently known as Middle East), such as the Carthaginian currency and the one of Tyre.

The shekel was also the reference unit of mass in the "royal gur-cube" measurement system created in 2150 BCE in the Akkadian Empire under Naram-Sin's reign. This system has been in use also in Neo-Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Persian Empires.