Facts on Canopic Jars
Canopic jars were employed by the ancient Egyptians during mummification rituals as containers which held the bandaged viscera of the deceased. The Egyptians removed the viscera before starting the mummification process. These internal organs (liver, stomach, lungs and intestines) contain a substantial amount of fluid, which can lead to rapid putrefying and decomposing. The heart was left inside the body during mummification.
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Description
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Canopic jars are wide-necked funerary jars that vary in size from 5 to 10 inches wide. They were made of materials such as limestone, pottery, wood and alabaster. Each jar was identified with one of the four sons of Horus, minor funerary gods, who protected the jars' contents. Those gods were, in turn, protected by their wives. The jars were either sculpted or painted with a depiction of the appropriate patron god. Ultimately, the jars' lids were sculpted in the shape of a baboon (Hapy), a human (Imesty), a jackal (Duamutef) or a falcon (Qebehsenuef). Inscribed text proclaimed honor for the deceased and asked for protection.
Purpose
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The Egyptians believed the deceased could only be reborn in the afterlife if they possessed their organs. Hapy, guarded by Nephthys, protected the lungs; the liver was guarded by Imesty, who was protected by Isis; Duamutef, guarded by Neith, protected the stomach and upper intestines; the lower intestines were guarded by Qebehsenuef, who was protected by Serket.
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Installation
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The classic canopic installation included an outer stone chest that was associated with the stone sarcophagus, and an inner wooded chest, divided into four sections, which represented the coffin. The jars were then individually placed inside the four sections of the chest. The jars were sometimes, however, replaced with painted representations on the inner lid of the canopic chest.
Etymology
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The term "canopic," as it relates to the jars, is derived from a misunderstanding. The Greek hero Kanopos was believed to have been worshiped in the form of a jar, in the city of Canopus. Early Egyptian explorers believed there to be a connection between that idol and the unrelated visceral jars that were discovered in tombs. They began calling the jars "canopic," and subsequently the term came to describe any container that held removed viscera due to mummification.
End
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After thousands of years, the use of Canopic jars was discontinued some time during the Greek rule of Egypt (Ptolemaic Period). Few Ptolemaic jars have been discovered, because they were replaced by small chests that resemble shrines. The chests were, in turn, discontinued from funerary practices before the Roman rule of Egypt.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit stannate: flickr.com
