An Enduring Name from a Simple Mistake
Interestingly, the name by which we know these sacred vessels is not originally Egyptian. Instead, early Egyptologists coined the term “Canopic” when they saw a resemblance between the human-headed jars they found and a deity worshipped in the ancient Nile Delta city of Canopus. Although this local god was a form of Osiris depicted as a jar with a human head, the connection was purely superficial. Nevertheless, the name “Canopic jars” stuck and is now the standard term.
In contrast, the ancient Egyptians themselves likely called them qbḥw (qebehu). This name translates to “vessels of cooling” or “libation,” a title that better hints at their role in the sacred purification and preservation rites of Egyptian burial practices.
Learn more about other key figures in th pantheon of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses.
The Religious Purpose: An Indispensable Role in Rebirth
To understand the purpose of Canopic jars, we must first grasp the Egyptian concept of the soul. The Egyptians believed that for the soul—specifically its components like the ka (life-force) and ba (personality)—to be reborn in the afterlife, it had to reunite with its physical body. Consequently, this belief became the driving force behind the entire mummification process.
Early on, embalmers recognized that the soft, moist internal organs were the first to decompose, a process that would destroy the body’s integrity. To ensure preservation, therefore, they performed an evisceration, carefully removing four key organs through a small incision in the abdomen:
- Lungs
- Liver
- Stomach
- Intestines
However, because the Egyptians considered these organs essential parts of the person, they could not simply discard them. For this reason, they had to preserve the organs separately while keeping them close to the body. This necessity defines the primary function of the four Canopic jars: to safely store and magically protect these organs for all eternity.
Embalmers, however, treated two other organs quite differently. They almost always left the heart (ib) inside the body, as they believed it was the center of intelligence and consciousness, essential for the final judgment. The brain, on the other hand, they considered unimportant. They would typically scramble it with a long hook, liquefy it, and then drain it out through the nose to be discarded.
For a detailed look at how bodies were preserved, read our complete guide to the ancient Egyptian mummification process.
