Death and Rebirth

In the ancient world, death was understood as the separation of the soul from the body, while the soul itself was believed to survive death. This view of life and death gave rise to a dual emotional response toward the dead: awe and mourning. The realm of the dead was consequently imagined in various places, such as beneath the earth or in the west, and myths of gods and heroes descending into the underworld emerged in many cultures. Underlying these beliefs was the idea of a cycle of life: all living things are born from the earth, return to the earth, and are born again from the earth. Thus, life and death were not regarded as opposites, but rather as two phases of the eternal cycle of cosmic life. This conception formed the foundation of ancient religious beliefs in the immortality, rebirth, and transmigration of the soul.