mesha

Mesha is a term with several distinct uses across cultures and languages. It may refer to a historical figure, a piece of ancient inscription, or a calendrical-astrological term, and it also appears as a personal name.

In the historical and archaeological context, Mesha was the king of Moab in the 9th century BCE. The Mesha Stele, or Moabite Stone, is a basalt inscription dating to his reign. It was discovered in 1868 at Dibon (modern-day Dhiban in Jordan) and is written in Moabite, a Northwest Semitic language. The inscription recounts Mesha's campaigns and Moab's relations with Israel, providing a Moabite perspective on the political history of the period and a key source for the study of the Moabite language.

In Indian astrology, Mesha is the Sanskrit name for the zodiac sign Aries (Mesha Rashi). The term means "ram" in Sanskrit, and Mesha roughly corresponds to late March through April in the solar year. The solar transit known as Mesha Sankranti marks the Sun's entry into Aries.

As a given name, Mesha appears in various cultures and may be used independently or as part of longer names.