Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Beka weight excavated in Jerusalem
TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Artifact from First Temple period unearthed in Jerusalem. 'Beka' counting weight for census with ancient Hebrew script found in soil removed from Western Wall foundations (Arutz Sheva). A "beka" weight is equivalent to the half-shekel coin. This weight, however, was from the First-Temple period, before there were coins. It would perhaps have been used to weigh the half-shekel Temple tax. It is inscribed in mirror script, which is arguably an informative error.