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Description
Description
This authentic silver Tyrian Shekel was struck in the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre and circulated throughout Judea during the time of Jesus Christ. These coins are widely recognized as the official currency accepted for the annual Temple tax in Jerusalem and are directly connected to the biblical account of the money changers in the Temple.
The obverse depicts the head of the Phoenician god Melqart, while the reverse shows an eagle standing on a ship’s prow with a Greek inscription identifying the city of Tyre. Because of their unusually high silver purity, Tyrian shekels became the preferred coinage for religious payments at the Second Temple and remain among the most historically significant “Coins of the Bible” available today.
Period and Time
Period and Time
This coin was struck during the Second Temple Period (516 BC – AD 70), most likely between 126 BC and AD 66, when Tyrian shekels served as the standard silver currency used for Temple taxation in Jerusalem. Pilgrims traveling from across the Roman world exchanged their local coinage for these shekels before entering the Temple precincts.
Tyrian shekels circulated in Judea during the lifetime of Jesus and are closely associated with the historical setting of the New Testament, particularly the episode in which money changers operate within the Temple courts.
Material
Material
This coin is struck in high-purity silver (approximately 94%), a standard that made Tyrian shekels uniquely trusted across the eastern Mediterranean. Their consistent silver content is the primary reason Temple authorities accepted them in Jerusalem for sacred payments.
Although minted in the Phoenician city of Tyre, many later issues of this type were likely produced under Roman supervision in the region of Judea itself while preserving the traditional Tyrian design and inscription. The coin features the head of Melqart on the obverse and an eagle standing on a ship’s prow on the reverse, accompanied by the Greek legend identifying Tyre as the issuing authority.
