The burial of the dead in ancient Egypt was an elaborate and ritualised process, with beaded masks and adornments such as amulets having a vital role. As a symbol of rebirth and regeneration, the scarab was laid near the chest, atop of the heart and final resting place of the soul. The four sons of Horus were positioned slightly lower, suggestive of their roles as protectors of the organs; Imsety, depicted as a human, protected the liver; Duamutef, a jackal, protected the stomach; Hapi, depicted as a baboon, safeguarded the lungs, and Qebehsenuef, a falcon, guarded the intestines. The four protected organs were in fact removed from the body, and embalmed before being stored in their corresponding canopic jars. The four sons of Horus were purely associated with funerary rites. Our first reference of their use dates to the late Old Kingdom, within the Pyramid Texts. Canopic jars were used right until the Ptolemaic period, when they eventually fell out of use, however the sons of Horus were still depicted on funerary equipment all the way until the 4th century AD.
Given the nature of the suspension holes, this set most likely would have been part of a beaded mummy shroud, commonly seen in the Late Period.
