What were canopic jars used for?

They stored and protected the four main internal organs removed during mummification. The Egyptians believed the deceased would need these organs again in the afterlife.

Why do canopic jars have animal heads?

The heads represent the four sons of Horus, each linked to one organ. Imsety had a human head, Hapy a baboon's, Duamutef a jackal's and Qebehsenuef a falcon's. These animal heads became standard from the middle of the 18th Dynasty.

What happened to the brain during mummification?

It was removed through the nose with a hooked instrument and discarded. The Egyptians thought thinking happened in the heart, so the brain was not kept in a jar.

Were canopic jars buried with every mummy?

No. Canopic jars were expensive and mostly belonged to royals, nobles and wealthy officials. Many ordinary people were mummified more simply, without removing the organs.

Are there canopic jars for animals?

Animal mummies, such as cats, ibises and crocodiles, were generally not given canopic jars. The jars belonged to human burials, where they were part of a full set of protective tomb equipment.

Canopic Jars Ancient Egypt

10 min read | Published: Mar 18, 2023 | Updated: Oct 11, 2026 | TRIPS IN EGYPT

For the ancient Egyptians, death was not an ending but a journey, and every part of the body had to be ready for it. Canopic jars were the sacred vessels that kept a person's organs safe for eternity, each one watched over by a guardian god.

This guide explains what canopic jars are and where their name comes from, the four sons of Horus who protected them, and how the jars fit into mummification. It also traces how they changed over 2,500 years, what they were made of, 10 facts about canopic jars, and where you can see the finest examples in Egypt today.

What Are Canopic Jars?

Ancient Egyptian canopic jars.webp — Ancient Egyptian canopic jars

Canopic jars in ancient Egypt were containers used to hold and protect the internal organs of a mummified person. They were usually made in sets of four, one each for the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines, and were buried in the tomb close to the mummy.

The Egyptians believed the dead person would need every part of the body in the afterlife. By preserving the organs separately, the embalmers kept them safe from decay and placed them under divine protection.

Why Are They Called "Canopic" Jars?

Ancient Egyptian canopic jars near Canopus.webp — Ancient Egyptian canopic jars near Canopus

The name is a historical mistake. Greek and Roman writers told of Kanopos, the helmsman of the Greek king Menelaus, who was said to be buried at Canopus, a town near modern Abu Qir, east of Alexandria. A form of the god Osiris worshipped there was shown as a jar with a human head.

When early European travelers saw Egyptian canopic jars with human-headed lids in the tombs, they connected them with this "Canopus" jar. The name stuck, and Egyptologists still call all such organ containers "canopic", even though the ancient Egyptians never did.

The Four Sons of Horus: Canopic Jar Names and Their Organs

canopic jars names trips in egypt — Canopic Jars Names - Trips in Egypt

Each canopic jar was protected by one of the four Sons of Horus, minor gods who already appear in the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom. Each son was paired with a protective goddess and a direction of the compass.

Son of Horus	Head on the lid	Organ protected	Direction	Protecting goddess
Imsety	Human	Liver	South	Isis
Hapy	Baboon	Lungs	North	Nephthys
Duamutef	Jackal	Stomach	East	Neith
Qebehsenuef	Falcon	Intestines	West	Serqet (Selket)

The jars were often inscribed with short spells calling on the goddess to protect "her" son, and through him the organ inside. Together, the four sons and the four goddesses surrounded the dead person with protection on every side. You can meet these and other deities in ancient Egyptian religion in our full guide.

How Canopic Jars Fit Into Mummification

canopic jars significance in ancient egyptian life trips in egypt — Canopic Jars Significance in Ancient Egyptian Life -Trips in Egypt

Making a mummy took about 70 days. Early in the process, the embalmer made a cut on the left side of the abdomen and removed the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines. The brain was pulled out through the nose and thrown away, because the Egyptians did not think it was important.

The organs were washed, dried in natron, a natural salt, coated with resin, and wrapped in linen before being placed in their jars. Meanwhile the body itself was dried in natron for about 40 days. Read the full process in our guide to ancient Egyptian mummification.

Why Was the Heart Not Put in a Canopic Jar?

The heart was the one major organ deliberately left inside the body. The Egyptians believed it held a person's mind, memory and character, the record of everything they had done in life. It had to stay with the body so it could speak for its owner in the afterlife.

The Feather of Maat: The Judgement of the Heart

why was the heart not put in the canopic jar trips in egypt — Why Was the Heart Not Put in the Canopic Jar - Trips in Egypt

In the Hall of Two Truths, the god Anubis weighed the dead person's heart against the feather of Maat, the goddess of truth and order, while Thoth recorded the result. This scene is described in Spell 125 of the Book of the Dead.

A heart in balance with the feather allowed the dead person to enter the Field of Reeds, an eternal paradise. A heart heavy with wrongdoing was eaten by Ammit, a devourer demon who was part crocodile, part lion and part hippopotamus. Learn more about this judgement process and what it meant to the Egyptians.

History of Canopic Jars in Ancient Egypt

Canopic equipment was used for about 2,500 years, and its shape and decoration changed with each era. Following those changes helps archaeologists date a burial.

Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BC): The First Canopic Chest

The earliest known canopic container belonged to Queen Hetepheres I, wife of Sneferu and mother of King Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid. Her calcite chest, found in her Giza tomb by George Reisner's team in 1925–1927, was divided into four compartments. It still held her organs, preserved in a natron solution.

During the Old Kingdom, canopic jars had plain, flat or domed lids and no inscriptions. Jars of this type are known from other Fourth Dynasty Giza burials, such as that of Queen Meresankh III, wife of King Khafre.

Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BC): Human-Headed Lids

From the First Intermediate Period, lids began to be carved as human heads, probably representing the dead person. In the Middle Kingdom, wealthy Egyptians were buried with a complete inscribed set: four human-headed jars in a wooden chest, placed inside a stone outer chest.

New Kingdom (c. 1550–1069 BC): The Four Animal Heads

From the middle of the 18th Dynasty, the lids took on the distinct heads of the four sons of Horus: human, baboon, jackal and falcon. This is the classic canopic jar most people picture today. The New Kingdom also produced the finest royal canopic chests, carved from calcite with goddesses embracing the corners.

Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069–664 BC): Dummy Jars

Around the end of the New Kingdom, embalmers began wrapping the organs and placing them back inside the body, often with small wax figures of the four sons. Many people were still buried with canopic jars for tradition's sake. By later in the period, these were solid "dummy" jars with no space inside at all.

Late and Ptolemaic Periods: The Final Chapter

Hollow jars returned for a time in the Late Period, especially in high-status burials of the 26th Dynasty. In the Ptolemaic period they were mostly replaced by small wooden chests shaped like shrines, and canopic equipment had disappeared by early Roman times.

What Were Canopic Jars Made From?

what are canopic jars made from trips in egypt — What Are Canopic Jars Made from - Trips in Egypt

The material of a canopic jar depended on the period and on the wealth of the family. The most common were:

Calcite (often called Egyptian alabaster), the favorite for royal and elite jars
Limestone, widely used in the Old and Middle Kingdoms
Pottery and glazed faience, for less wealthy burials
Wood, painted and sometimes gilded, especially for chests and later dummy jars

Royal sets could be inlaid with colored glass or semi-precious stones, but the jars themselves were rarely made of gold.

Canopic Chests and the Art of the Jars

art of the canopic jars trips in egypt — Art of the Canopic Jars - Trips in Egypt

Canopic jars were usually stored in a canopic chest, a box with four compartments that was often placed in a niche or at the foot of the sarcophagus. Skilled sculptors carved the lids, while scribes painted or carved protective spells and the owner's name and titles on the jars.

The most famous example belongs to King Tutankhamun. His calcite canopic chest has four compartments closed by lids carved as the king's head. Inside were four miniature coffins of solid gold, each holding one wrapped organ. The chest stood within a gilded wooden shrine guarded by statues of the four goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Serqet, their arms outstretched in protection.

10 Facts About Canopic Jars

facts about canopic jars trips in egypt — Facts about Canopic Jars - Trips in Egypt

These canopic jars facts sum up everything you need to know in a few lines.

Canopic jars usually came in sets of four, one for each organ removed during mummification.
They held the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines, but never the heart or the brain.
The name comes from the town of Canopus near Alexandria, through a mistake made by early European travelers.
Each jar was protected by a son of Horus: Imsety (liver), Hapy (lungs), Duamutef (stomach) and Qebehsenuef (intestines).
Each son was guarded in turn by a goddess: Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Serqet.
The oldest known canopic container is the calcite chest of Queen Hetepheres I, mother of Khufu, from about 2600 BC.
The first lids were plain. Human-headed lids came later, and the four animal heads became standard only in the New Kingdom.
Tutankhamun's organs were kept in four miniature solid-gold coffins inside a calcite canopic chest.
In later periods, organs were often put back inside the body, and solid "dummy" jars were buried for tradition's sake.
Canopic equipment was used for about 2,500 years and disappeared by early Roman times.

Where to See Canopic Jars in Egypt

NEW SECTION — NO OLD IMAGE NEEDED

Egypt's museums display some of the finest canopic jars and chests ever found.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (Giza): It holds Tutankhamun's complete burial equipment, including his canopic chest, shrine and golden coffinettes. Plan your visit with our Grand Egyptian Museum guide.
The Egyptian Museum (Tahrir, Cairo): It holds the canopic equipment of Queen Hetepheres and many complete sets from all periods.
The Mummification Museum (Luxor): It shows embalming tools, canopic jars and mummified animals on the Nile Corniche. It is included in our Luxor Museum and Mummification Museum tour (From $65).

Outside Egypt, notable collections are held in the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Canopic Jars in Modern Culture

Canopic jars remain some of the most recognizable objects from ancient Egypt. They appear in films, video games and museum gift shops, and making a model canopic jar from clay is a popular school project. Behind the popular image lies a real belief: that a person's body had to be kept whole to live forever.

Conclusion

Canopic jars combine art, religion and science in a single object. They show how carefully the Egyptians prepared for eternity, entrusting each organ to a god and each god to a goddess, so that nothing would be lost on the journey to the Field of Reeds.

Standing before Tutankhamun's golden coffinettes, you can still feel the devotion that went into protecting a king for eternity.

Want to see canopic jars up close? Visit the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Valley of the Kings and the temples of Luxor on one of our Egypt tour packages, guided by expert Egyptologists who bring these treasures to life.