Learn English – What does Tutankhamen “died on his knees” mean

idiomsmeaning

Time magazine (November 4) carries an article titled, “Tutankhamen died on his knees, then his body spontaneously combusted,” which is followed with the following statement:

Working together with car-crash investigators, a team of British
scientists says that the legendary pharaoh Tutankhamen died after
being run over by a chariot while on his knees.
http://science.time.com/2013/11/04/study-tutankhamen-died-on-his-knees-then-his-body-spontaneously-combusted/#ixzz2jpEknncO

The article adds that a theory presented last year held that the pharaoh might have died from epilepsy.

What does “die on one’s knees” mean? Was he killed when he was praying on his knees in ritual, which seems to be an extremely unusual occurrence?

Does it have any connection with “die / live on one’s feet / knees” in the saying, “Better to die on one’s feet than to live on one’s knees”?

Best Answer

The idiom "on his/her/its knees" usually has the connotation of subservience, surrender or defeat.

to destroy or defeat someone or something Sanctions were imposed in an attempt to bring the country to its knees.

So seeing a headline "Tut died on his knees" immediately evokes an image of Tut being killed while begging for mercy or something equally ill-befitting a great historical figure. As with most headlines, it's designed to catch your eye and get you to read more.

Reading the actual article, however, it sounds like they just meant it literally: he was kneeling down. Who knows why.

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