Chaldaea

Chaldaea, ae, f. (Χαλδαία), der südwestl. Teil von Babylonien vom Euphrat bis an die arabische Wüste, dessen Einwohner durch Sternkunde u. Wahrsagerei berühmt waren, Plin. 5, 90. – Dav.: A) Chaldaeus, a, um, chaldäisch, regnum, Lucr.: grex, Chaldäer = Wahrsager, Iuven. – subst., Chaldaeī, ōrum, m. (Χαλδαῖοι; Genet. Plur. Chaldaeûm, Lucr. 5, 725), die Einw. von Chaldäa, die Chaldäer, Gell.: dann für Astrologen, Wahrsager übh., Cic. u.a.: Sing. Chaldaeus, ī, m., der Wahrsager, Cato. – B) Chaldaeicus, a, um, chaldäisch, disciplina, Vitr. 9, 2 (4), 16 cod. opt. – C) Chaldaïcus, a, um, chaldäisch, genus praedicendi, Cic. de div. 2, 88: gentes, Plin. 6, 121: artis Chaldaicae valde peritus, Firm. math. 8, 25.

Chaldæa, æ, f. , la Chaldée : Plin. 5, 90 || Chaldæī, ōrum, m. (Χαλδαῖοι), habitants de la Chaldée, Chaldéens : Lucr. 5, 725 || [fig.] astrologues : Chaldæorum promissa Cic. Tusc. 1, 95, les prédictions flatteuses des astrologues || -dæus, a, um, Chaldéen : Chaldæus grex Juv. 10, 94, troupe dʼastrologues || -dăĭcus, a, um, Chaldéen : Chaldaicum genus prædicendi Cic. Div. 2, 88, méthode divinatoire des Chaldéens.

CHALDAEA

CHALDAEA(Χαλδαία), in a strict sense, was probably only, what Ptolemy (Ptol. 5.20.3) considered it, a small tract of country, adjoining the deserts of Arabia, and included in the wider extent of Babylonia. The same view is taken by Strabo (16. p. 739), who speaks of one tribe of Chaldaeans (φῦλόν τι τῶν Χαλδαίων), who lived near the Arabians, and on the so-called Persian Sea: this district he considered part of Babylonia (χώρα τῆς Βαβυλωνίας). That this idea prevailed till a late period is clear, since Strabo (16. p. 767) calls the marshes near the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris τὰ ἕλη κατὰ Χαλδαίους, and Pliny (Plin. Nat. 6.31) Lacus Chaldaici, while the last author in another place extends them almost to the sea, where he states that they were caused by the Eulaeus and the Tigris. In the Etym. Magnum (s. v. Ἀσσυρία) is a remarkable notice to the effect that Assyria, which is the same as Babylonia, was first called Ἐυφράτις, but afterwards Χαλδαία.From these statements we are justified in believing that at some period of ancient history, there was a district called Chaldaea, in the southern end of Babylonia, near the Persian Gulf and Arabia Deserta, though we have no certain clue to what period of history this name should be assigned. The name probably was lost, on Babylon becoming the great ruling city, and, therefore, not unnaturally imposing its name upon the country of which it was the chief town. [BABYLON]

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Chaldaea

(Χαλδαία). In the narrower sense, a province of Babylonia, about the lower course of the Euphrates, the border of the Arabian Desert, and the head of the Persian Gulf. It was intersected by numerous canals, and was extremely fertile. In a wider sense, the term is applied to the whole of Babylonia, and even to the Babylonian Empire, on account of the supremacy which the Chaldaeans acquired at Babylon. (See Babylon.) Xenophon mentions Chaldaeans in the mountains north of Mesopotamia. Their original seat was most probably in the mountains of Armenia and Kurdistan, whence they descended into the plains of Mesopotamia and Babylonia. Respecting the Chaldaeans as the ruling class in the Babylonian monarchy, see Babylonia.