Amon-Ra, The story behind the name

The temple of Amon-Ra, now known as the temple of Karnak, was believed to be the first temple to ever plant a mono-culture vineyard specifically for the production of wine for the citizens of the temple. Amon-Ra is considered to be the King of the Gods.

The 3rd dynastic administrator of northern Egypt, Methen, had a garden-vine at his estate and a regular vineyard by itself in another area. In addition to nobles owning vineyards, temples had their own on their temples estates, and the pharaohs had theirs as well; Rameses III lists 513 vineyards belonging to the temple of Amon-Ra.

This gigantic temple is dedicated to Amon-Ra and began being built in the 1300’s BC. It’s colonnade of 134 columns, the temples and gateways were of mammoth proportions. The avenue of the sphinxes leads the to the entrance pylon (350 feet wide and 46 feet thick) – apparently these sphinxes lined the 3 mile road to the Temple of Luxor in ancient times. The temple is the largest with columns in the world (Notre Dame could fit inside). The grounds of the complex are covered with pieces waiting to be reassembled. On the ground lies the pink granite obelisk built by Queen Hatshepsut with its ornate inscriptions – small holes at the top mark the spot where its electrum top was once attached deep carvings of Amon-Ra decorate the walls. Inner courtyards hold statues of Ramses and Amon.

The eye depicted on the front label is the eye of Horus, the all-seeing eye. The ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus or wedjat ('Whole One') is a powerful symbol of protection, and is also considered to confer wisdom, health and prosperity. Horus was one of the most important Egyptian gods, a sun-god represented as a falcon or with the head of a hawk, whose right eye was the sun and whose left eye was the moon. He was the son of Osiris (god of the underworld) and Isis (mother goddess). Osiris was slain by his own brother, the evil Set (jackal-headed god of night), and Horus fought Set to avenge his father's death, winning the battle but losing an eye in the process. The eye was restored by the magic of the god of wisdom and the moon, Thoth, and this allowed Horus to grant Osiris rebirth in the underworld.

The EYE OF HORUS has a very specific meaning.  The eye is represented as a figure with 6 parts, which correspond to the six senses - touch, taste, hearing, thought, sight, smell.  The eye is regarded as the receptor of sensory input and has six ‘gateways’, to receive data.

The construction of the eye follows very precise laws. The senses are ordered according to their importance, and according to how much energy must be “eaten” by the “eye” for an individual to receive a particular sensation.

In the Ancient Egyptian measurement system, the EYE OF HORUS represented a fractional quantification system to measure parts of a whole,  and this system was used to record prescriptions, land and grain.

The image of the eye can also be called the eye of Ra or even the eye of Atum, each with their own unique interpretations echoing the different perceptions of belief at different periods.