Amon or Ammon, major deity in Egyptian mythology. He was originally a local Theban god of reproductive forces, represented as a ram. Amon (whose name means “hidden”), his wife Mut (“the mother”), and his son, the Moon god Khonsu (“to traverse the sky”) formed the divine triad of Thebes. Later, Amon was identified with the Sun god Ra of Heliopolis, and was known as Amon-Ra, “the father of the gods, the fashioner of men, the creator of cattle, the lord of all beings”. As a universal god he became the god of the Egyptian nation and the empire. The power of his high priest rivalled that of the pharaoh, provoking political problems similar to rivalry between Church and State. The most massive temple ever built was constructed for Amon-Ra at Karnak. Amon was worshipped in the ancient Greek colonies of Cyrene, where he was identified with Zeus, and in Rome, where he was associated with Jupiter.