Egyptian Mummies and Canopic Jars: Free KS2 History Worksheet

Why did the Ancient Egyptians make mummies?

The Egyptians believed that a person was made up of more than just their body. They thought each person also had a spirit, and that the spirit needed to recognise and return to its body in the afterlife. If the body decayed, they feared the spirit would be lost forever. Mummification was therefore a religious act rather than a scientific one: by drying and preserving the body, embalmers hoped to keep their loved one safe for eternity. The process took around seventy days and was carried out by skilled priests, who removed moisture using a natural salt called natron and then wrapped the body in many layers of linen. This worksheet helps children understand mummification as part of a wider belief system, not simply as a curious custom.

What were the four canopic jars for?

During mummification, embalmers removed several internal organs that would otherwise rot. The lungs, stomach, intestines and liver were each preserved separately and placed inside four special containers called canopic jars. The heart, however, was usually left inside the body, because the Egyptians believed it was the centre of thought and feeling and would be needed in the afterlife. Each jar was protected by one of the four sons of the god Horus, and the carved lids showed their heads: Imsety with a human head guarded the liver, Hapy with a baboon head guarded the lungs, Duamutef with a jackal head guarded the stomach, and Qebehsenuef with a falcon head guarded the intestines. The illustration on this sheet shows all four lids, giving children a clear visual link between belief and object.

The painted coffin and the journey to the afterlife

Once wrapped, a mummy was placed inside a decorated coffin, sometimes within several nested coffins. These coffins were brightly painted with protective symbols, spells and images of gods such as Osiris, ruler of the underworld, and Anubis, the jackal-headed god of embalming. The Egyptians believed the dead person faced a journey through the underworld, ending with the famous 'weighing of the heart' ceremony, where the heart was balanced against a feather representing truth and justice. The paintings, jewellery and goods buried alongside the body were all meant to help and protect the deceased on this journey. Discussing the coffin alongside the canopic jars gives children a fuller picture of Egyptian burial beliefs.

How to use this worksheet at home or in class

This sheet works well as part of a wider Ancient Egypt topic. Before children begin, you might watch a short clip about mummification or look at photographs of real canopic jars from a museum collection, such as the British Museum. Encourage children to colour the four lids carefully and to talk about which animal head belongs to each god's son. The written questions check understanding of the key ideas: why bodies were preserved, what the jars held, and what the painted coffin was for. For an extension, older or more confident children could research the weighing of the heart ceremony or design their own protective coffin pattern.

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