2905: Scientific Terms from an Egyptian God Dec 4, 2024

The ancient Egyptian god Amun, with his ram's horns, contributed to a number of scientific terms. ‘Ammonite’’ referring to the spiral-shaped fossil, was named for the similar tightly curled horn shape. Less obviously, ammonia’, a pungent compound, and "sal ammoniac," a type of salt, both derive their names from "Horns of Ammon" due to their historical connection with the temple Jupiter Ammon at Siwa in Egypt, where these substances were first extracted. 

Interestingly, this connection has no relation to the biblical figure Ammon, or the Ammonites, an ancient Semitic people. The "horns of Jupiter" refer to a different symbol entirely. As far as the connection of "Jupiter Ammon” the figures were both depicted with horns, and as Egyptian and Roman cultures grew increasingly close, the worship would become fused, hence it is also referred to as “horns or Jupiter”.