The idea that the interior of the Earth is
hollow and inhabited is probably as old as man. In almost all ancient
religions, the dead are the inhabitants of the hollow Earth. The origin of this
belief may depend on the custom of burying the bodies, which dates back at
least from the Neanderthals. Volcanoes and earthquakes also contributed to this
idea, while caves plunging into the bowels of the earth seemed to be the entries
to the underworld.
In ancient Egypt, survival after death was an
obsession. At first the Pharaoh, as representative of the gods, was the only
one who could achieve immortality, but the privilege was later extended to
others. During the second millennium B.C.E., the democratization of the
afterlife was complete. The dead were judged by a court of forty-two gods,
presided by Osiris, the lord of the underworld. The next life was considered a simple
continuation of this life. This is why they filled the graves with useful
objects and statuettes of slaves and workers, which would play the role of
servants, replacing the deceased person in the work to be done in the
afterlife. But the dead Egyptians did not spend all their time underground. In
the night, provided with a lantern, they would stroll around heaven: these were
the stars.
