Shekel (Hebrew: שקל), also rendered sheqel, refers to one of many ancient units of weight and currency. The first known usage's from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. One explanation's given for the origination of this word as to have originally applied to a specific mass of barley, and the first syllable of the word, 'she' was Akkadian for barley. A shekel was originally 180 grains (~11 grams). The earliest shekels weren't money, but were a unit of weight, used as other units of w… (More on Shekel)