Chaldea also spelled Chaldaea, Assyrian Kaldu, Babylonian Kasdu, Hebrew Kasddim (modern southern Iraq) is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament.

Chaldea, "the Chaldees" of the KJV Old Testament, was a Hellenistic designation for a part of Babylonia. One early such reference is to the impending sack of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II (Habakkuk 1:6). The Hebrew name for ancient Chaldeans was Kasdim.

The Book of Genesis narrative of Abraham places him at Ur, which was at a later time the country of the kasdim - the "Chaldeans", or just possibly the "Kassites". The toponymy is that of the Neo-Babylonian period of the Torah editors, not that of the supposed time of the original patriarch of the Hebrew people himself.

The 11th dynasty of the Kings of Babylon (6th century BC) is conventionally known to historians as the Chaldean Dynasty. Their kingdom in the southern portion of Babylonia lay chiefly on the right bank of the Euphrates. Though the name came to be commonly used to refer to the whole of Mesopotamia, Chaldea proper was the vast plain in the south formed by the deposits of the Euphrates and the Tigris, extending to about four hundred miles along the course of these rivers, and about a hundred miles in average width.

Location: Chaldea was a nation in the southern portion of Babylonia, Lower Mesopotamia, lying chiefly on the right bank of the Euphrates, but commonly used to refer to the whole of the Mesopotamian plain. The country so named is a vast plain formed by the deposits of the Euphrates and the Tigris, extending to about 400 miles along the course of these rivers, and about 100 miles in average breadth. In former days the vast plains of Babylon were nourished by a complicated system of canals and water-courses, which spread over the surface of the country like a network.

People, Land: The Chaldeans were a Semitic people of Arabian origin who settled in southern Mesopotamia in the early part of the first millennium BC. The needs of a teeming population were supplied by a rich soil, not less bountiful than that on the banks of the Egyptian Nile. Like islands rising from a golden sea of waving corn stood frequent groves of palm-trees and pleasant gardens, affording to the idler or traveler their grateful and highly-valued shade. Crowds of passengers hurried along the dusty roads to and from the busy city. The land was rich in corn and wine.

Language : Their language is assumed to be Aramaic.

Systems: Chaldean references were used by several ancient authors to denote the priests and other persons educated in the classical Babylonian literature, especially in traditions of astronomy and astrology. Numerology

Politics: The Chaldeans made their influence felt in Babylonian politics, and several 9th and 8th century BC Babylonian kings were of Chaldean origins. During the period of Assyrian domination of Babylonia, the Chaldeans formed some of the strongest resistance to Assyrian rule. King Marduk-apla-iddina II, who resisted the Assyrians in the times of Sargon II and the early years of Sennacherib, and King Mushezib-Marduk, who was king just before Sennacherib's sack of Bayblon in 689 BC, were both Chaldeans. When Babylonia finally reestablished its independence, it was under a probably Chaldean dynasty, that of Nabopolassar.

Fall of the Empire: After the conquest of Babylonia by the Persians, the Chaldeans disappeared as a separate people.

Today: The Chaldeans of Beth Nahreen (Mesopotamia which is current days is Iraq, east Syria, and south east Turkey) are a continuation of all the indigenous people of Mesopotamia whether their tribal names were Sumerians, Akkadians, Amorites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Aramaeans. Classical Aramaic is used in the Chaldean liturgy; the vernacular Aramaic Chaldean is used at home and in daily life. Aramaic has an alphabet of twenty- two letters and is the mother tongue from which Hebrew and Arabic were later derived. Chaldeans educated in Iraq also speak and read Arabic. Many Chaldeans are tri-lingual, understanding Chaldean, Arabic, and English. A few families also speak Spanish, having lived in Mexico before their immigration to the United States.

There are approximately 150,000 Chaldeans in the US, in addition to another 100,000 who go by Assyrians, in addition to approximately 30,000 who go by Syriacs (Suryoyo). The centers of the Chaldeans is Metropolitan Detroit, MI (where the majority of the Chaldeans are) in addition to San Diego, CA, and a smaller population in Phoenix, AZ and Chicago, IL. While the Assyrians have their biggest concentration in Chicago, IL, with sizable population in San Francisco Bay Area and Turlok-Modesto (around Sacramento area) of California. The Syriacs are found more in Los Angeles area with sizable concentrations in Chicago and Detroit.


Chaldean Flag

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From 'Chaldeans On Line"



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