II. Mosaic period. Gold and Silver. (The old light shekel or ox-unit is now called shekel of the Sanctuary to distinguish it from its double.)
| 50 | light Shekels | = | 1 | Maneh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 | light Shekels | = | 60 | Manehs = 1 Kikkar ( talent ). |
III. Regal period. Gold.
| 100 | light | (= 50 double) shekels | = | 1 | heavy Maneh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 | heavy | (= 10,000 light) ” | = | 100 | heavy Manehs | = 1 talent. |
The same system was probably employed for silver and copper, but instead of counting 100 light shekels to the Maneh as in the case of gold, they reckoned silver and copper by the double shekel, probably called the king’s shekel in contradistinction to that of the Sanctuary.
IV. After the Return. The light shekel still retained for gold, and the Babylonian, or Phoenician silver standard, employed for silver.
V. Maccabean Period. Gold on the old standard, and silver (now first coined) struck on the Phoenician silver standard of 220 grains.
Copper was estimated most probably on the old double shekel system; and most likely the royal Assyrian heavy system of 60 shekels to the maneh and 60 manehs to the talent was adopted in its entirety for copper and other articles of no great value in proportion to their bulk48.
Phoenician Standard.
The total loss of the literature and records of the Phoenicians, and the