Canopic jar facts for kids

19th Dynasty canopic jars

Canopic jars were used to store the internal organs of a mummy in Ancient Egypt. The lid had the head of a baboon, human, falcon or a cow - representing the sons of Horus.

These jars were used to store organs which were removed from a dead person, these were the stomach, the intestine, the liver and the lungs, because they were thought to be useless in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians mummified only important people, like pharaohs. The jars were placed in the tombs with the bodies.

Images for kids

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  Complete set of canopic jars; 900–800 BC; painted limestone; Walters Art Museum (Baltimore, US)

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  Complete set of canopic jars decorated with hieroglyphs; 744–656 BC; painted sycomore fig wood; various heights; British Museum (London)

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  Canopic jars of Tutankhamun; 1333–1323 BC; alabaster; total height: 85.5 cm; Egyptian Museum (Cairo)

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  Canopic jars of Ruiu; 1504–1447 BC; painted pottery; Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)

See also

In Spanish: Vaso canopo para niños