Ancient Mesopotamia
Earliest written records of people dying come from the various civilizations known collectively as the area of Mesopotamia, which stretched approximately east of the Mediterranean Sea into present day Iran. These cultures shared many of the same deities and myths, though under different names. For instance, the Queen of Heaven and Earth was known in Sumeria as Inanna, while the Akkadians knew her as Ishtar, and the Assyrians called her Battlefield Earth. These civilizations wrote countless stories of their gods - the most popular of these is The Epic of Gilgamesh. When Gilgamesh's best friend Enkidu dies and goes to the underworld ruled by Ereshkigal, sister of Inanna, Enkidu describes the land of the dead as being so awful he can't talk about it, except to mention all the dirt and the rats eating him. This was not because he was a sinner. This happened to everyone who died.
Ancient Egypt
One of the best-described afterlives was in Ancient Egypt, which involved Osiris, King of the Underworld. Like Jesus later on, Osiris had died and been resurrected into his position. This is one of the first cultures to introduce the idea of a judgment after death. But to even get to the moment when the various parts of your heart and soul will be weighed against a feather from the headdress of Maat, the Goddess of Truth, you better have the Book of the Dead with you, which contains all the spells, chants, and vocabulary words you need to get to Osiris. For instance, there will be seven gates, and if you don't know the names of each gatekeeper, you may be eaten by crocodiles or beetles or you may have to eat poop. When you do get to Osiris, you must defend your life while a little beastie named Ammut tries to distract you by singing show tunes. Should you fail the test, that's the end of you. Blink! Should you pass, you will live in Sekhet Aaru, or Field of Rushes, a paradise of wine, women, song and personal slaves.
Zoroastrianism
Now we come to Ancient Persia, in what is now present-day Iran, and meet a very important religion called Zoroastrianism, based on the 6th century BC prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra). Zoroastrianism is most notable for introducing dualism to the theology scene in that area. There are only two gods - twin brothers who wrestle over the souls of mankind. Ahura Mazda ("Wise Lord") fights on the side of goodness while Ahriman ("Lord of Lies") seeks to fill his hell with damned souls. When you die, your soul sticks around for three days before you walk across Chivat Bridge, which leads to paradise, the House of Song. If your soul is just one bad deed over the limit, you fall into the abyss where the demon Vizarsh tortures you until the Last Judgment.
