Canopic Jars held the remains of people in the older days that died and were embalmed. When a person is embalmed there remains are kept for preservation and put in jars. Embalming originated in Egypt and was only usually used by the Hebrews. Embalming is not mentioned a lot through the bible and some burial places show no signs of the process. But in Genesis it says that Jacob's body was embalmed upon Joseph’s request. It is also said that the people who perform the process took forty days to perform the embalmment. In Genesis it also says that Joseph was embalmed and was buried in the land of Egypt. These two holy men that were embalmed show their importance in the community at the time.
One form of embalming is mummification. It is a more elaborate way which was developed in Egypt and takes about seventy days to complete. This was usually done to Pharaoh’s who were the kings of Egypt. The process included taking out organs and the viscera the only thing that was left untouched was the heart. The reason for this was that in their belief it was needed for the weighing of the heart after death. Then after all was out they covered the body with embalming fluid to preserve and wrapped the body in cloth. The Hebrews did not do this due to difference in belief and religious practice. But there are different ways of embalming a person. The jars were then placed somewhere near the body holding the persons organs. So the jars have some connection to the bible although they are used for different practices. |