Canopic Box

The canopic chest was an important part of the funerary equipment of the ancient Egyptians since the Old Kingdom. It was made to hold the four canopic jars that contained the wrapped internal organs removed from the corpse during the mummification process.
The contents of this painted Ptolemaic chest are lost. Considering its dimensions and the burial customs of the period, it is unlikely that it contained canopic jars; the wrapped organs were rather placed in it directly.
The base of this box, as well as, the lower part of the rear panel is missing. Its lid is catalogued under a different inventory number (56.96-E). The side panels bear images of the four sons of Horus, protectors of the internal organs. The front is decorated with the human-headed Imsety, the rear with the hawk-headed Qebehsenuef, the right with the baboon-headed Hapy, and the left with the jackal-headed Duamutef.