Canopic Jars In Ancient Egyptian Culture

“The fundamentals of ceramics are based on functionality” (Elizabeth Moss). Ceramics, clay, and pottery, has been around for many years and still is present, and used today. Many of the ceramic pieces have been useful in many ways for different cultures. Some are used as kitchen utensils; moreover, bowls, plates, and cups. Often, clay pieces are used rituals that even date back to the Egyptian era. This can entail people using a piece for another who has died; therefore, a ceremony that the Egyptians used. During mummification in Egypt, they would create jars that were put in the tomb with the mummified person. These were called Canopic Jars. The jars were present in the 18th Dynasty the time of the New Kingdom, this has dated back to the
Their main purpose for the removal of the organs and the creation of the jars was because the organs would begin to damage the body. The organs contain lots of fluid that would build up in the body, which would cause the body to begin to decompose quickly. Although they had a place to put the jars. They would place the jars in with the tomb, the Egyptians thought that when entering the after-life, so that the person’s soul would be completed. The heart however, would stay in the body. The Egyptians believed that the heart should be left inside the body upon entering the afterlife. This would be weighed to see if they lived a good life. The heart was placed on a scale on one end, placed on the other was a feather. If the feather would weight more than the heart, then the person would pass into the after-life. This task would be done to judge if that person has led a good life for themselves. To see if they are worthy enough to enter into the
These materials include clay, limestone, calcite, and clay that was found in the Nile. Although there are more ways to create these jars, those were the main ingredients they would use. Creating these pieces, the Egyptians were known to start with a lump of clay and form the piece by pinching it, then used a flat tool to compress the clay against their hands to create the final piece. They were then fired in their Egyptian kilns. They started out as a bonfire that then evolved into a kiln or furnace called an updraft kiln. The walls were made from lumps of stone and old fired clay that was held together by clay mud to keep it stable. They would create the updraft kilns with holes on top for the smoke to escape so there wasn’t a buildup of it. Today there has been little recovery of the old blueprints from the kilns or furnaces that the Egyptians would use. The idea however has stayed the same but evolved with our new technologies.
In today’s times, Canopic Jars are just a mere artifact displayed in a museum. This is not a common ritual that people do when someone has passed like the Egyptians did. However, today we use in a hospital setting a relation of that idea. Surgeons will use Organ Transfer Coolers. These are coolers that will keep organs from a deceased patient cold while transferring them to another patient in need of that