Canopus

Canopus, or CANOBUS, a city of ancient Egypt, from which the Canopic mouth of the Nile derived its name, was situated on the sea-coast, 15 miles E. of Alexandria. Here the boundary line between Asia and Africa was drawn by the ancient geographers. Canopus had a famous temple of Serapis, considerable commerce, and an evil reputation for the luxury of its citizens. Its ruins are visible near Aboukir. Canopie Vases, named from the city, were vases used by the Egyptian priests to contain the viscera of embalmed bodies. Canopus is also the name of a star of the first magnitude in the southern constellation Argo.