Canopic jars

Following our visit to the mummies at the British Museum, I have been introduced to another important artefact of the time.
 
This photo is of four smaller reproduction jars.
 
Canopic jars were used by the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife.
 
These jars were used by the ancient Egyptians from the time of the Old Kingdom up until the time of the Late 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