Regardless of what type of granite they used, the Egyptians knew the various flecks of color would too illustrate all of the facets of life.
	During the First Intermediate Period of Egyptian history, the lids of canopic jars are changed from the traditional flat tops to sculpted forms of human heads. (Ellison) Additionally, it is during this time period that hieroglyphics adorn the jars, listing not only the name and title of the deceased, but spells and text regarding life also ran around the jar in bands of writing. (Ellison) Design is also enhanced as care is taken to visually connect the canopic jars to the coffin visually, either through color scheme, writing, drawings, or materials. In this sense, the magic would only be strengthened in adding text as well as connecting jars to the sarcophagus: the spells ensured additional support, and since the sarcophagus contains the body and the jars contain the respective organs, it is only logical to link the two through design to verify that they all can never be separated in the afterlife.
	By the end of the Middle Kingdom, it would appear that the Egyptians had created a standard of canopic jars from which is does not deviate much for some time. (Ellison) These jars were held in an outer stone chest made of the same stone as the sarcophagus, and the inner wooden chest, divided into four sections, represented the inner coffin. In turn, these four compartments held four jars which each had certain characterized properties. All four jars were adorned with lids with the four sons of Horus: Hapy, the baboon-headed god, guarded the lungs; the human-headed Imsety was the guardian of the liver; Duamutef watched over the stomach and upper intestines and was depicted as a jackal; the falcon-headed Qebehsenuf protected the lower intestines. Within the wooden chest, four goddesses would be invoked through text, each called to protect the son of Horus to whom she was associated. (Ellison)
	The magic here is truly strengthened through the idea of dichotomy, or when two seemingly opposing things are represented together. In these canopic jars, the male gods atop the jars, who serve to protect the vital organs, are additionally protected themselves by female counterparts. Also, since the gender roles are established in this way where the female deities offer the final level of preservation and defense, life is once again reiterated: Egyptian women were at a higher status than that of most ancient civilizations because of their ability to bear new life. Again, the idea of new life, the afterlife, is strengthened through magical characteristics. Additionally, the depiction of the sons of Horus and the written references to the females through hieroglyphs are components of art that create a level of realism: to these Egyptians, the gods were quite literally present in each and every canopic jar, readily available to serve the organs they were ordained to protect.
