Egyptians are famous for their ritualistic habits. They practiced peculiar and complicated rituals, particularly during burial ceremonies. They also used special things like the Canopic jars for this purpose. The Canopic jars were utilized while mummifying the dead body. The visceral organs were kept in these jars to preserve life even after the death of a person.
Ancient Egyptian Canopic jars have been in use since the old Kingdom and lasted up to the last era of the Egyptians. However the way these jars were used varied over time. When it came to storing the viscera in the jars the Egyptians would make use of a a few different jars and each organ had its own dedicated Canopic jar.
Lots of people are of the notion that Canopic jars are linked to the Greek legend of Canopus. This really is not the case as later Egyptologist have proved that the two concepts did not have anything to do with each other.
It was a traditional practice to ascribe four Canopic jars to a deceased person. Each jar was particularly designed for a certain organ namely stomach, intestines, lungs and liver which were considered to be very important. The Canopic jars were subject to a continual design-variation throughout their use in the historic era.
Back in the days of the old Kingdom the jars were comparatively simpler and had plain lids. Nevertheless by the time of the first intermediate period the Canopic jars were now being created with human heads. The purpose of utilizing human heads was to resemble and represent the dead.
Until the beginning of the new Kingdom of Egypt, Canopic jars portraying human heads were commonly used. As the 18th century was coming to a close, the human head symbol became obsolete. The lids were now made so as to portray the four sons of Horus.
Each of the four sons of Horus was responsible for the protection of each of the four organs dedicated to them. The Egyptians viewed the four sons of Horus as 'gods of cardinal compass points'. They were also supposed to guard each other from dangers posed from any outside source.
The four sons of Horus as displayed on the Canopic jars included Damutef, who was a jackal headed god in charge of protecting the stomach. He represented the East and was granted divine protection from another Egyptian deity, the goddess Neith. The second was a falcon headed deity known as Qebehsenuef. This particular deity was in charge of protecting the intestines and was granted protection from Selket.
The third jar that contained the lungs had the Egyptian deity Hapi as its representative. Hapi was also taken as the representative of North and was given protection by Nephthys. The fourth son of Horus was Imseti who symbolized the North and protected the liver while himself being protected by the Egyptian goddess Isis.
Ancient Egyptian Canopic jars have been in use since the old Kingdom and lasted up to the last era of the Egyptians. However the way these jars were used varied over time. When it came to storing the viscera in the jars the Egyptians would make use of a a few different jars and each organ had its own dedicated Canopic jar.
Lots of people are of the notion that Canopic jars are linked to the Greek legend of Canopus. This really is not the case as later Egyptologist have proved that the two concepts did not have anything to do with each other.
It was a traditional practice to ascribe four Canopic jars to a deceased person. Each jar was particularly designed for a certain organ namely stomach, intestines, lungs and liver which were considered to be very important. The Canopic jars were subject to a continual design-variation throughout their use in the historic era.
Back in the days of the old Kingdom the jars were comparatively simpler and had plain lids. Nevertheless by the time of the first intermediate period the Canopic jars were now being created with human heads. The purpose of utilizing human heads was to resemble and represent the dead.
Until the beginning of the new Kingdom of Egypt, Canopic jars portraying human heads were commonly used. As the 18th century was coming to a close, the human head symbol became obsolete. The lids were now made so as to portray the four sons of Horus.
Each of the four sons of Horus was responsible for the protection of each of the four organs dedicated to them. The Egyptians viewed the four sons of Horus as 'gods of cardinal compass points'. They were also supposed to guard each other from dangers posed from any outside source.
The four sons of Horus as displayed on the Canopic jars included Damutef, who was a jackal headed god in charge of protecting the stomach. He represented the East and was granted divine protection from another Egyptian deity, the goddess Neith. The second was a falcon headed deity known as Qebehsenuef. This particular deity was in charge of protecting the intestines and was granted protection from Selket.
The third jar that contained the lungs had the Egyptian deity Hapi as its representative. Hapi was also taken as the representative of North and was given protection by Nephthys. The fourth son of Horus was Imseti who symbolized the North and protected the liver while himself being protected by the Egyptian goddess Isis.
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Ancient Egyptian Jackals are simply amazing to behold up close. For a more detailed look at this and comparable subjects check out our article on Ancient Egyptian Electricity.
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