EGYPT, Alexandria. Otho. AD 69. Æ Obol (20mm, 2.73 g, 12h). Dated RY 1 (AD 69). MAPK OΘΩN KAIΣ ΣEB AYT, laureate head right / Canopic jar of Osiris right, ornamented and wearing Atef crown; L A (date) to right. Köln 252-3; Dattari (Savio) 331 = RPC I 5371.1 (this coin); K&G 18.19; Emmett 192.1 (R4). Red-brown patina, flan crack, off center on reverse, edge flaws. Near VF. Rare.
From the Dr. Thomas E. Beniak Collection, purchased from Praefectus Coins, 18 November 2016. Ex Giovanni Dattari Collection (Naville Numismatics 26, 23 October 2016) lot 130.
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.
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