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Canopic Jars

Canopic Jars

Other On Display

Essential for Egyptian afterlife beliefs

Era: Old Kingdom to Ptolemaic Period
Current Location: {'major_collections': ['Egyptian Museum, Cairo', 'British Museum, London', 'Louvre Museum, Paris', 'Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York']}
Materials:
Limestone Alabaster Pottery Wood Precious metals (in royal burials)
Research Confidence:
(80%)

About Canopic Jars

Canopic jars were elaborate vessels used in ancient Egyptian mummification processes to store and preserve specific internal organs of the deceased. These organs included the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines, each protected by a different deity. The jars typically featured distinctive lids shaped as heads of four sons of Horus: Hapy (baboon-headed, lungs), Imsety (human-headed, liver), Duamutef (jackal-headed, stomach), and Qebehsenuef (falcon-headed, intestines). Each jar stood approximately 30-40 cm in height and was crafted with precise attention to detail.

Historical Significance

Essential for Egyptian afterlife beliefs

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Physical Details

Dimensions:
Materials:
Limestone, Alabaster, Pottery, Wood, Precious metals (in royal burials)

Quick Facts

Type:
Other
Era:
Old Kingdom to Ptolemaic Period

Where to See It

🏛️
{'major_collections': ['Egyptian Museum, Cairo', 'British Museum, London', 'Louvre Museum, Paris', 'Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York']}
Currently on Display