TAA i.3.5.1

                                                                                                               (1)

          The Canopic equipment, stood against the centre of the east 

wall of the Treasury, includes a wooden canopy supported by four 

corner posts upon a wooden sledge; under the canopy a wooden

shrine-shaped chest and four free-standing wooden statuettes of 

the tutelary goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neo/<i>th and Selket; conceal-

ed under the chest an alabaster (calcite) shrine-shaped lidded box 

standing upon a small wooden sledge and housing four jar-like 

receptacles; in each of the four receptacles a miniature gold 

coffin containing the viscera of the king preserved mummiform.

          The canopy, chest and the lidded box faced west.

          The importance of this Canopic equipment being nearly as great 

as the burial of the king, I do not think I shall be wasting time 

if I devote some few lines to a more or less detailed description 

of its component parts. But, first, let us understand its sign-

ificance. In the ritual of mummification, especially at this

period, the viscera were removed fo/<r>om the body, preserved separ-

ately, and placed in four special receptacles generally known as 

Canopic jars. These were assigned to the care of the four tute-

lary goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Selket, whose duty it was 

to protect the four sons of Horus – the genii Imsety, Hepy, Dua-

mutef and Qebeh-senwef – who, according to the ancient myth, having 

succoured Osiris in his misfortunes and saved him from hunger and 

thirst, were called upon to do the same for the dead. However, 

judging from the inscriptions upon this Canopic equipment, the 

viscera were not alone confided to the care of the four tutelary