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The Collaborative International Dictionary
canopic jar

canopic jar \ca*no"pic jar`\ n. a jar used in ancient Egyptian tombs to contain the intestines of a person who was mummified for burial; -- also called canopic vase. [Also spelled Canopic jar.]

Wiktionary
canopic jar

n. (context archaeology English) An Egyptian pottery container in which the entrails of a mummy have been placed.

WordNet
canopic jar

n. a jar used in ancient egypt to contain entrails of an embalmed body [syn: canopic vase]

Wikipedia
Canopic jar

Canopic jars were used by the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife. They were commonly either carved from limestone or were made of pottery. These jars were used by the ancient Egyptians from the time of the Old Kingdom until the time of the Late Period or the Ptolemaic Period, by which time the viscera were simply wrapped and placed with the body. The viscera were not kept in a single canopic jar: each jar was reserved for specific organs. The name "canopic" reflects the mistaken association by early Egyptologists with the Greek legend of Canopus.

Canopic jars of the Old Kingdom were rarely inscribed, and had a plain lid. In the Middle Kingdom inscriptions became more usual, and the lids were often in the form of human heads. By the Nineteenth dynasty each of the four lids depicted one of the four sons of Horus, as guardians of the organs.

Usage examples of "canopic jar".

As Sacheverell was explaining the tiny Canopic jar of preserved cat entrails beside it, a six-toed Siamese wandered up and sniffed the mummy thoughtfully.

The little pot was not an essential part of the funerary equipment, like a canopic jar or a sarcophagus.

A giant canopic jar containing the water of Muad'Dib occupied a place of honor at his right elbow.

A small Egyptian canopic jar was the first to fall, closely followed by a teak incense chest.