The other world in ancient civilizations
In the most ancient religious systems fixed in the written sources, the other world was described as non-identified dark world without the sun light and joy that is usually situated in the lowest layer of the three-layer world. The world consisted of the sky, land and the underground.
The most ancient ideas about the other world don't have any ethic differentiation. All dead people go to the same place not depending on who they were on Earth.
The first attempt to relate the other world with the retribution was fixed in the Egyptian culture. The Book of death is connected with the trial on Osirius in the result of which the souls go either to the field of good people or to the field of sinners. Partially the same differentiation was kept in the Greek mythology. Aid was considered to be the other world in Greek mythology. And this world was ruled by the god Aid. People could get to the other world either dieing or finding the entrance to it. In such way Hercules found the entrance to Aid. But Aid is guarded by the huge and angry dog. Besides, Tartar was considered to be the place where the souls of sinners were living. And the sinners had different punishment in dependence on the sings they committed. For example, the killers got more serious punishment than burglars.
Later the ideas of people were developing and people thought the souls of sinners were damaged finally while the souls of good people were living in joy.