Canopic Jar Lid- Pharaoh Lid

myminifactory

When an ancient body was preserved as a mummy, the internal organs were rapidly extracted after death to prevent decay. Despite this, the Egyptians believed it essential to preserve them alongside the mummified corpse. The heart, considered the seat of intelligence, remained in place within the mummy. The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines were carefully placed in four separate containers. The wooden lids of these jars vividly depicted the Sons of Horus, four minor deities who protected the organs they contained. They are Qebhsenuef, a falcon-headed god guarding the intestines; Duamutef, a jackal-headed god safeguarding the stomach; Hapy, a baboon-headed god watching over the lungs; and Imsety, a human-headed god protecting the liver. These containers were later designated "canopic jars" by modern Egyptologists, mistakenly linking them to Canopus, a renowned captain of Menelaus' fleet in ancient Greece. After the fall of Troy, Canopus was buried in Egypt and revered locally as a human-headed jar. This collection of jars belonged to Neskhons, wife of Pinedjem II, the High Priest of Amun, whose name and numerous titles were inscribed on the front of the containers. The colorful lids offer one of the most impressive surviving representations of the Sons of Horus.