EGYPT, Alexandria.
Hadrian. AD 117-138. BI Tetradrachm (24mm, 13.21 g, 12h). Dated RY 4 (AD
119/20). Laureate bust right, slight drapery / Canopus of Osiris to right; L ∆
(date) across field. Köln 784; Dattari (Savio) 1316; K&G 32.117; RPC III
5198; Emmett 827.4 (R2). Toned, porosity. Good Fine.
Canopic jars were used to store the organs that
were removed from the body during the mummification process, specifically the
lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines. The term "canopic" to describe
such vessels is a misnomer, being derived from the port city of Canopus, where
the god Osiris was worshipped in the form of a jar.