canopic jars

Google images [real canopic jars]

You can buy these on eBay and such but none of them come close to the real thing. It's disappointing. I saw the jars pictured below elsewhere and thought, "Hey, that's rather good."  Too bad we cannot find anything nearly this authentic online.

Sorry. I couldn't resist. Look, sometimes it's just hard to be serious, alright? 

The word “canopic” is not Egyptian. It comes from Greek by way of misunderstanding. One of their heroes was worshiped at a place named for him in the form of a jar. The ancient Greeks traveling to Egypt saw these jars and made the connection with their own myth and the name stuck. 

Mummification is a process of drying out the body using natron, a desiccating material common in Egypt, however, it doesn’t work on all the sloppy wet internal organs. And, as the rite is applied to people of importance then the internal organs couldn’t be just tossed in the compost heap like the insignificant gushy brain.

The first known version of canopic equipment was a segmented box that held the pharaoh’s bundled internal organs that was found in paving block near the sarcophagus of Khafre at the second pyramid of Giza.

The first boxes were made of wood then by the 4th Dynasty organs were placed in pottery jars or simple stone jars. The cases that held the box that held the jars were cut from stone. These stone boxes were sunk into pits in the floor at a specific cardinal point in the chamber with the sarcophagus. 

During the First Intermediate Period where order broke down at the end of the Old Kingdom rule was divided by two competing powers a change occurred to the canopic jars where the lids of the jars inside the box changed from flat lids or simple domes to the shape human heads with cartonnage masks, a material made from papyrus and linen and plaster painted to resemble human faces. The form of the boxes were also elaborated from simple chest with the name of the deceased to the shape of a coffin with inscribed text all around it to link more completely the chest with the sarcophagus. The form was settled by the end of the Middle Kingdom. So, with exceptions, the form of most pharaonic equipment consisted of a stone outer chest closely matching the sarcophagus with an inner wooden chest to comport with the coffin holding four jars. 

The four jars held the four main body organs identified with the sons of Horus. The hieroglyphic inscriptions identified them. The four gods protecting the organs were themselves protected by goddesses.

The liver was protected by Imsety, protected by Isis

The lungs were protected by Hapy, protected by Nephthys

The stomach was protected by Duamutef, protected by Neith

The intestines were protected by Kebehsenuef, protected by Selket

The inscriptions on the box invoked the protection of the goddesses and proclaimed the honor of the deceased. 

At the 18th Dynasty the lids to the jars took the shape of their protectors so now the contents can be identified by their lids. 

Hapy is a baboon.

Duamutef is a jackel

Kebehsenuef is a hawk

Imsety is human form

The chests were elaborated to the shape of a shrine on a sled. 

The heretic king’s canopic equipment changed dramatically on several points. In the case of King Tut, the alabaster chest holds alabaster jars that are all representations of the king that contain exquisite mini gold coffins containing the internal organs. These tiny coffins are masterpieces on par with his three coffins. The alabaster chest is placed inside a separate shrine on a sled.

Later, all this broke down and canopic jars were not stored in chests anymore and eventually the viscera were mummified separately and returned to the body cavity. 

One of Tut's four canopic jars.

I stood in front of one of these jars completely mesmerized. I went back five more times. Inside both sides are filled with vertical inscriptions. They're quite astonishing.

Tut's canopic coffin holders.

Tut's shrine on a sled that held his canopic chest.

Tomb raiders! Sacrilege! We went in there and just tore all this up. We have no respect at all. None.  Like it's all just a matter of interest to us.