Canopic Jars - Organ Preservers

The organs were first dried in natron salt from the Natron Valley in Egypt, then wrapped in linens and placed in the jars. These jars were then placed in a Canopic chest which was buried along with the sarcophagus.

All the internal organs were treated this way except the heart which was kept inside the body. The ancient Egyptians believed that the heart was where the soul resides and to remove it would destroy the deceased's chances of having an afterlife. It was needed for the final judgment of the “weighing-of-the-heart”.


There were always 4 jars, each one for a specific organ. At first their lids were plain, then with time they developed and each one was made with the shape of an animal or human.

These are King Tut's Jars.

Although in some cases, the jar lid was in the shape of the head of Anubis.

These animal heads represented the Four sons of Horus, and each one had a role in the afterlife. They protected a part of the body until the deceased needed it for rebirth again.

The ancient Egyptians believed the physical body was needed for the afterlife, just as it was in life.

The 4 Jars were:

• Hapy - the ape that protected the lungs
• Duamutef - the jackal that protected the stomach
• Qebehsenuef - the falcon that protected the intestines
• Imsety - the human that protected the liver

As you can see the brain was not used, and in any case it was removed through the nose in chunks and not kept whole.

This practice started in the Old Kingdom and continued all the way the Ptolemaic Period. By then, the insides were just wrapped up and buried with the body.

The museum in Cairo has King Tut's (and many other) jars and you'll get to see the intricate details that were put into this fascinating process.

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