CHALDEA. - Hebrew: Kašdim, 'ères Kašdim; Septuagint: Χαλδαίοι, Χαλδαία; Vulgate: Chaldei and terra Chaldaeorum; in cuneiform texts: Kasdu and later Kaldu.
Geographically, Chaldea denotes the part of Mesopotamia (v.) comprised between Babylonia (v.) to the north and the Persian Gulf to the south: often the inscriptions reduce this extent, since the coasts of the Persian Gulf are known by the special name of Bit-Jakin. Later, around the 9th century B.C., the name of Chaldea comprises the whole Babylonian region.
In the Bible too there is the same uncertainty in fixing its boundaries. Gen. 11:28, 31 seems to intend this region in the restricted sense. Indeed there still existed several small states with a non-Semitic population. The other books of the Bible generally assume that this name is identified with that of Babylonia.
Greek authors generally confuse the names of Chaldea, of Babylonia and even of Assyria. The political and religious history and the biblical "Chaldean relations" are those of Babylonia and Assyria (v.). It should be emphasized that Ur of the Chaldees is the country of origin of Abraham (v.).
The ethnic name Chaldeans serves to indicate: 1) A Semitic-Aramaic race, which penetrated around 2000 B.C. into southern Babylonia and advanced northward, which found itself in contact, in war and in peace, with the Assyrian people, which, with the help of the Medes (v.), it overthrew in 612 B.C. 2) In the book of Dan. (2:2; 4:10; 3:8, 48; 4:4; 5-7) the word takes on a special meaning: of scientists, astronomers and astrologers. The same occurs among Greek and Roman writers. In Dan., however, the term serves to indicate the people of Aramaic race (cf. 1:4; 5:30; 9:1). 3) The same word serves to designate the Chaldean Christians (v. CALDEI).
The "Chaldean period" is a period that renews itself every eighteen years from the lunar eclipse, discovered by Babylonian-Chaldean astronomers. "Chaldean language" was the name given until the last fifty years to the Aramaic language (v.). The name derived from Dan. 2:4, in which the speech of the Chaldeans is given in Aramaic. For another sense v. URARTEI.