Chaldea

Chaldea (from Greek Χαλδαία, Chaldaia ) is the name of two landscapes in ancient times . These are the areas of the Chaldeans who live in

• Urartu (today's region of Armenia ) and
• Babylonia (southern Mesopotamia )

were at home. In ancient sources, the two peoples were often confused, although both cultures developed independently and independently of one another.

Babylonian Chaldea

The Bible and Greco-Roman historiography usually use the name Chaldea for the Babylonian Chaldeans who immigrated to the Babylon / Persian Gulf region (see also Ur (city) ). They possibly had far-reaching connections via Oman to Yemen , but an exact assignment cannot be made.

Urartian Chaldea

The area of ​​the Urartean Chaldeans lies in the Lake Van / Lake Urmia region . The name is derived from the revered god Chaldi .

Bible

According to the tradition of the Old Testament of the Bible, Abraham was born in Ur ( Gen 11: 27-31  EU ).

literature

• Sir Leonard Woolley: Ur in Chaldäa: Twelve years of excavations in Abraham's homeland . Wiesbaden 1956