Four Canopic Jars

When a body was mummified, the parts which would decay were removed and preserved separately. The heart was left inside the body because the Egyptians believed that in the afterlife it would be weighed to see whether the person had led a good life.

 The stomach, liver, intestines and lungs were removed through a cut in the abdomen. They were then dried in a special salt called natron. When they were dried, the organs were put into canopic jars. Egyptians thought that the parts of the body would all be put back together in the after life, just like the god Osiris, who was murdered by his brother Set and cut into pieces. The goddess Isis magically put him back together and he became the god of the afterlife.

Each canopic jar  held a different organ, and each had the head of one of the sons of the god Horus. Duamatef had the head of a jackal, and guarded the stomach. Qebehsenuf had the head of a falcon and guarded the intestines. Hapi, with a baboon head protected the lungs and Imseti, who had a human head, protected the liver. The four canopic jars were put into a special chest which went into the tomb with the mummy.