Drowning : a tragic or a blessed end

Abstract EN

Despite the many benefits of water with its life giving forces, a more sinister side is also observed.

The torrential whirls of the Nile together with the ferocious crocodiles were common causes for death by drowning.

This tragic death was so frequent that special measures had to be taken to guarantee succcssfiil passage to the afterlife for those whose bodies were lost and could not be properly buried.

There are evidences that drowning was used as a form of retribution for the enemy as well as guilty Egyptians.

However, starting from the Late Period, drowning in the Nile has completely changed its connotation, acquiring a positive aspect; a form of deification.

This conccpt might have greatly relied on the theory that Osiris died by drowning in the Nile or that parts of his body were buried at the source of the Nile.

This study aims at -finding out the theoretical meaning of death by drowning in ancient Egypt, whether it was viewed as a bmtal punishment or a blessed ending.