Did man develop the concept of gods before or after understanding the concept of mortality?

Answer 1

What a really interesting question. I believe the two developed at very much the same time, but the initial awareness was mortality. Once we began burying our dead, we became conscious of a metaphysical reality. This accelerated the understanding of a "divine" which eventually became religious anthropomorphism.

Answer 2

If you look at human development in terms of the way a child evolves, then I think people look for explanations of happenings that are larger than them, before it ever occurs to them that they are mortal. Look at a child listening to thunder, wanting to know where it's coming from. They don't have a sense of mortality yet, but their mind is already searching for explanations of things they don't understand. The idea of a higher power can take root very easily, whereas the concept of mortality takes a long time to explain to children.