Siwa, Egypt/egypt280
Previous | Home | NextThis is the temple area at the north end of the hill. Here Alexander the Great asked to be alone with the Oracle. Later he reported that he had heard what he had wished, but never revealed the secret exchange. However, according to tradition, Alexander was told he was divine and would conquer the world. He believed he was the son of Amun.
After the Egyptian dynasties waned and the Roman Empire expanded, Roman visitors collected a white crystalline material from the ceiling and walls caused by various pollutants, principally from the "natural" fuels (camel dung). This white crystalline material (ammonium chloride) was called "salt of Ammon" ("sal ammoniac") by the Roman residents. This growing of sal ammoniac on walls is not unusual; burning coal mines produce this sublimate frequently.
In the 1700's Priestley took some of this sal ammonia and found, when reacted with lime, a vapor was released that he collected over mercury. It was suggested, from the name of "sal ammoniac" that the vapor be called "ammonia." {LINK: Calne140}.
The view is north through the temple area. Courtesy, Isabelle and Stéphane Gallay, under Permission, NonCommercial Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike.
