CHALD2EANS (from Lat. C/m7r/cri, &ant, ('hablaioi, 11 eb. Assyr. Icahn, pos sibly from Assyr. kashralit, to conquer). Prop erly a designation of a Semitic. people, whose original bona) was southeast of Babylonia, on the Persian Gulf, in the Sea Laud (Mat Tamti).
There was :1 t•011sid•ffIble 1111:1112•1' of lialdu States, such as Bit Aninitikani, Bit Dakan. Bit Shilani, Bit Shaali, Bit Adini and Bit I if the most important seems to have been Bit Ya kin. llominers theory that Fr (I\Inglighayar) to realm of the Ka bin as early as the Third Atille1111111111 B.C. is not convin•ing. It is possible that already the Pashi dynasty (use, 1139-1006) was Chald:•an. In the case of Mat Tandi (1006-953) and Bit nazi (9S3-63), this is quite probable, Adad Nirari Iii., in S03, re ceived tribute from Kaldu princes. In 723 I kin sir, of Bit Anunakani, consequently a Chid cheap, ascended the throne of Babylon. Mania kapaliddin (Merodach Baladan), ruler of Bit \akin. made himself king of Babylon in 721, and maintained himself with the aid of Elamites and Aranneans until 710. In 70•, he returned for nine months. hut was driven back to Bit. Yakin by Sentemberib. 1)1 093rS9 Chat (bean, Mushezili Marduk, occupied the throne of Babylon. But it was with Nalumpaluzur (Xa bopolassar) (e.026-604) and Nabukuderuzar ( Nebuchadnezzar), his son ( 604-561 ) that Cha 1 (bran princes seated themseives upon this throne ho were able to make IW)ylonia ft wo•ld-power. Nalmkuderuzur's son, Awn Marduk (Evil Mero daeli). Nvito reigned 562-560, was overthrown by Nirgal Sharuzur (560-5561, and the son of this usurper, Labashi \la•duk (556). was the last
Chabbean king. He was supplanted by a Baby lonian, NabIllIzlid (Nabonidos), who reigned 555 .113S. The .period of foreign conquests and a powerful inner administration hail made the terms Chaldean and Babylonian practically sy nonymous with foreigners. Hebrew writers of the post•xilie period speak of the Babylonians as Chald:r•ns (Kasdim). In the Seeond Century n.c. the term Cbahhean was used by the author of the Book of Daniel as a designation of a class of magicians. Concerning the Chaldican language we have no other information than that which may be gleaned from proper names. These sug gest a closer kinship to the Babylonian than to either Arabic or Aramaic. After the conquest of Babylon, the native Cbald:ran dialect was no doubt crowded out by Babylouian and Aramaic. The latter was regarded by Daniel not alto gether erroneously as the of the Chal dmans.” Hence Aramaic was called 'Clialdee' Jerome, and the confusing term has remained in use until recent times. The failure to distin guish between Babylonians and Chaldwans has added to this confusion. The Chaldi, a people related to the modern Georgians of the Caucasus, were called by the old geographers Chal (Leans,' but they were Chald•ans in name only and non-Semitic. (See CnALDIANS), Gfillsliit: Delattre. "Lee Chalch•ens." in Rerue des questions historique. (Paris, 1S96) ; \\lu•kier. Unter suchungen z'ar altorientalischen Get:chichi(' (Leip zig. I559) ; Brinton. Protohistoric Ethnography of Western Asia (Philadelphia, I S95) .