ammonia

pungent gas, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, the basis for many fertilizers

After the Egyptian god Ammon or Amun, equated with Zeus by the Greeks. lat. ammoniacum, Gr. ammoniakon, bitter resin from the plant dorema in the Siwa oasis in the Libyan desert of Egypt.

The ancient name of the oasis was Ammonion, because it was home to a sanctuary of the Egyptian god Ammon. The oracle of Siwa was famous throughout the Greek world, especially after a visit by Alexander the Great in 332 BC.

According to another version, the ammonia did not come from a plant, but from the camel dung from which ammonia was prepared near the Ammon temples to degrease substances. Ammon was the protector of the dynasty and thus the most important god. Hence also 'amon' in Tutankamen.

A temple was erected for him in Karnak, which grew into an impressive complex over the centuries. The ram was the sacred animal associated with him. Ammonite or ammon's horns is the fossil of a mollusc species that bears a close resemblance to the horns of a ram.