Epic of Gilgamesh portrayed the gods and their relationship to humankind as a way of controlling their after life. Many believed that you could not understand the gods because they have their own plans for us. In Egypt the pyramids and the rebirth of the sun and river everyday gave them hope that people will have a better after life.  Larger groups of people besides the pharaohs thought they could access the afterlife if they lived the proper morally upright life.