Tomer Appelbaum

HALF-SHEKEL COIN. Minted in Tyre, this half-shekel silver coin dates to 12–13 C.E. and was found at Tel Hebron. The annual tax for each Jewish male at the Jerusalem Temple was a half-shekel. This tax first appears in relation to the Tabernacle (see, e.g., Exodus 30:13), and it is referenced in the New Testament as well (see, e.g., Matthew 17:24).