“Go to the sea and cast a hook and take up the fish that comes up; when you have opened his mouth you will find a piece of money; take that and give to them for me and for you.” (Matt. 17:27)
There were different ways of fishing on the Sea of Galilee, not unlike those of the ancient Egyptians and other ancient Middle Easterners. Normally to catch fish fishermen would use nets, though in this case when only one fish had to be caught for personal use, a rod, line and fishing hook were preferred, which increased the wonder of the miracle that it was the “first fish that comes up” and no more than the exact amount needed.
The coin Jesus and Peter needed for the tax collectors was the regular payment for the maintenance of the Temple (Exod. 30:13) which was a half-shekel per person. The full amount for Peter and Jesus that was found in the fish was one shekel, or a Tyrian stater (the word used in the Greek original and translated...
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You have an embarrassing typo here:
“These served as places for commerce and trade, but also for pubic assemblies, and of course for loiterers, beggars, as well as people seeking work.”