Yes, actually. The belief in the afterlife, while not necessarily new, has only been expanded and emphasized in the past century or so. Many cultures (and therefore religions since, since we like to define superstition so often as religion) would come up with stories of an afterlife, although this afterlife could be described as anything from the glamour of the abrahamic heaven to what would likely be called a state of limbo by a modern sense. This view, while prevalent (likely because of man's curiosity being coupled with his fascination with death) was not, however, all encompassing. Cultures did not always believe in an after life; for the sake of a modern context I'll offer you this: Judaism, for much of its early life, was actually very hesitant to teach of an afterlife. The concept of an afterlife, likely because it was rooted in folklore more often than religion, was actually not very well addressed in the Tora, which resulted in the initial hesitancy to preach of an afterlife. Furthermore, the Jewish community STILL has not reached a consensus on the afterlife! One need not to look far to see the remnants of an archaic culture which did not necessarily believe in an afterlife.