Letter 18 | The Early Civilizations (In English) | Letters From a Father to His Daughter

In this letter, Jawaharlal Nehru shifts focus from discussing patriarchs and kings to exploring early civilizations and the people who lived during those times. He mentions that, although we know more about these early civilizations than about the prehistoric Paleolithic and Neolithic man, our knowledge is still limited. However, the ruins of ancient buildings, temples, and palaces provide insights into the lives, customs, and cultures of those early people.

Nehru discusses the concept of ancient civilizations, including the speculative idea of Atlantis, a highly advanced society supposedly swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean. While there is no evidence to support this, he acknowledges the possibility of early civilizations in the Americas, referencing ancient ruins in Mexico (Yukatan) and Peru. He then turns to early civilizations in Eurasia, particularly Mesopotamia, Egypt, Crete, India, and China. Nehru emphasizes the importance of water in the establishment of these civilizations, noting that early settlers chose to live near rivers, which provided the necessary water for agriculture. Rivers like the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile, Ganges, and Jumna were crucial for food production, leading people to revere them as sacred and holy. Nehru underscores that the worship of rivers like the Nile and Ganges stemmed from their essential role in sustaining life, though people often forget the practical reasons behind such reverence.