Which was the first religion to teach of the place called hell?

The Word "hell" is found in many Bibles translations. In the same verses other translations read " the grave", "The world of the dead," and so forth. other Bibles simply transliterate the original-language Words that are sometimes rendered "hell"; that is , they express them with the letters of our alphabet but leave the Words untranslated. What are those Words? The Hebrew she'ohl' and its Greek equivqlent hai'des, which refer, not to an individual burial place, but to the common grave of dead mankind; also the Greek ge'en.na.

However, both in Christendom and in many non- Christian religions it is taught that hell is a place inhabited by demons and where the wicked, after death, are punished ( and some believe that this is with torment).

Here is what The Bible has to say. Ecclesiastes 9: 5,10 reads: " The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all... All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Grave or Sheol, (that is the common grave ) where you are going.

So to answer your question:

The Bible speaks about the common grave of the dead, but through out many different religions and traditions the Word "hell" was used to keep people in fear. This belief that is less and less used today, was possible due to our lack of interest, to first check what the Bible really teaches, which should no longer be the case.

No loving God would want to see His loved ones be tormented. Psalm 103 reads: " Jehovah is merciful and compassionate, Slow in anger and abundant in loyal love

When Adam and Eve were condemned by God, here is what He told them in Geness 3: 19 . " In the sweat of your forehead you will eat bread or food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return. Confirmed in Genesis 2 : 7.

By the way the root of the Word "human" is dust.