In Biblical Studies, for example, (the field of Theology concerned with the cultural history of early Christianity in Antiquity), water is an important historical and ritual research object. It was used for cleansing and purification, as well as for drinking, and that way was a basis for everyday life the same way it still is today. It was an integral part of every ritual, of medicine, of technical efforts – think of the aqueducts or sea trade – and of the cosmology, as well as, it played a big role in many explanations of how the world was believed to function. All of these aspects hold true throughout many fields of research, be it the humanities, or life sciences, or natural sciences, or engineering sciences.
https://www.theologie.uni-rostock.de/fachgebiete/neues-testament/prof-dr-theol-soham-al-suadi/