(), originally an Aethiopian or Libyan divinity,
whose worship subsequently spread all over Egypt, a part of the northern coast of Africa, and
many parts of Greece. The real Egyptian name was Amun or Ammun (de Is. et Os. 9); the Greeks called him Zeus Ammon,
the Romans Jupiter Ammon, and the Hebrews Amon. (Jerem. 46.25.) That in the countries where
his worship was first established he was revered in certain respects as the supreme divinity,
is clear from the fact, that the Greeks recognised in him their own Zeus, although the
identity of the two gods in later times rests upon philosophical speculations, made at a
period when the original character of Ammon was almost lost sight of, and a more spiritual
view of him substituted in its place.
The most ancient seat of his worship appears to have been Meroe, where he had a much revered
oracle (l.c.
;
de Pall. 3) calls him dives ovium. If we take all these
circumstances into consideration, it seems clear that the original idea of Ammon was that of a
protector and leader of the flocks. The Aethiopians were a nomadic people, flocks of sheep
constituted their principal wealth, and it is perfectly in accordance with the notions of the
Aethiopians as well as Egyptians to worship the animal which is the leader and protector of
the flock. This view is supported by various stories about Ammon. Hyginus (Poet. Astr. 1.20) whose account is only a rationalistic interpretation of the origin of
the god's worship, relates that some African of the name of Ammon brought to Liber, who was
then in possession of Egypt, a large quantity of cattle In return for this, Liber gave him a
piece of land near Thebes, and in commemoration of the benefits he had conferred upon the god,
he was represented as a human being with horns. What Pausanias (ad Dionys. Perieg. 212) remark, as well
as one of the many etymologies of the name of Ammon from the Egyptian word Amoni, which signifies a shepherd, or to feed, likewise accord with the opinion that
Ammon was originally the leader and protector of flocks. Herodotus relates a story to account
for the ram's head (2.42) : Heracles wanted to see Zeus, but the latter wished to avoid the
interview; when, however, Heracles at last had recourse to entreaties, Zeus contrived the
following expedient : he cut off the head of a ram, and holding this before his own head, and
having covered the remaining part of his body with the skin of the ram, he appeared before
Heracles. Hence, Herodotus adds, the Thebans never sacrifice rams except once a year, and on
this one occasion they kill and flay a ram, and with its skin they dress the statue of Zeus
(Ammon); by the side of this statue they then place that of Heracles. A similar account
mentioned by Servius (Poet. Astr. 1.20 ; Lucan, Pharsal. 9.511.) There are
several other traditions, with various modifications arising from the time and place of their
origin; but all agree in representing the ram as the guide and deliverer of the wandering
herds or herdsmen in the deserts, either in a direct way, or by giving oracles. Ammon,
therefore, who is identical with the ram, is the guide and protector of man and of all his
possessions ; he stands in the same relation to mankind as the common ram to his flock.
The introduction of the worship of Ammon from Aethiopia into Egypt was symbolically
represented in a ceremony which was performed at Thebes once in every year. On a certain day,
the image of the god was carried across the river Nile into Libya, and after some days it was
brought back, as if the god had arrived from Aethiopia. (ad Hom. Il. v. p.
128), though in a somewhat different form ; for he relates, that according to some, the
Aethiopians used to fetch the images of Zeus and other gods from the great temple of Zeus at
Thebes. With these images they went about, at a certain period, in Libya, celebrated a
splendid festival for twelve days--for this, he adds, is the number of the gods they worship.
This number twelve contains an allusion to the number of signs in the zodiac, of which the ram
(caper) is one. Thus we arrive at the second phasis in the character of
Ammon, who is here conceived as the sun in the sign of Caper. (Zeus disguised in the skin of a
ran. See Poet. Astr. 1.20;
de Is. et
Os. 9, 21.) The new Platonists perceived in Ammon their demiurgos, that is, the creator
and preserver of the world. As this subject belongs more especially to the mythology of Egypt,
we cannot here enter into a detailed discussion about the nature and character which the later
Greeks assigned to him, or his connexion with Dionysus and Heracles. Respecting these points
and the various opinions of modern critics, as well as the different representations of Ammon
still extant, the reader may consult Jablonsky, Pantheon Aegypt.; Bohlen,
Das alte Indien, mit besonderer Rücksicht auf Egypten, 2.2.9; J. C.
Prichard, Egyptian Mythology ; J. F. Champollion, Panthéon Egyptien, ou Collection des Personages de l'ancienne Egypte, &c.,
Paris, 1823.
The worship of Ammon was introduced into Greece at an early period, probably through the
medium of the Greek colony in Cyrene, which must have formed a connexion with the great oracle
of Ammon in the Oasis soon after its establishment. Ammnon had a temple and a statue, the gift
of Pindar, at Thebes (