PERSIA, ACHAEMENID KINGS XERXES I - DARIUS II AR SIGLOS, 485 - 420 B.C.E.
Carradice type IIIb A/B, Near Very Fine, 16.7mm, 5.54 grams
Obverse: Persian King running with drawn bow and spear
Reverse: Incuse punch
Biblical Coin which circulated around the time of King Ahaseurus and Queen Esther. This denomination is 1/3 of a Persian Shekel. This amount is probably what Nehemia was referring to when he asked the Judaean populace for a 1/3 shekel donation for the rebuilding of the Temple precincts, i.e. 1/3 of a Persian shekel was exactly the same weight as 1/2 of a Judaean shekel, the half shekel Temple tax (Machazit HaShekel) at the time.
