CHALDEANS

Chaldeans: translation

   The Chaldeans are Christians whom the French converted to Catholicism beginning in the 16th century. They suffered greatly in World War I, and their numbers have been further reduced due to emigration. Along with the Assyrians, they remain part of the small Christian minority in northern Iraq, where they interact with the Kurds. After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the Christians again suffered greatly in the ensuing civil war. In general, the Assyrian community prefers to view itself as an ethnically distinct people descended from the ancient Assyrian Empire, while the Chaldeans have identified more with their Christian religious beliefs.

CHALDEANS: translation

   Semitic-speaking tribal peoples in southern Mesopotamia. The name comes from the Babylonian term for their region, mat kaldu. Together with Aramean tribes, they entered Babyloniabetween 1000 and 900 B.C. The main tribes were the BitYakin, Bit Amukanni, and Bit Dakkuri, all occupying their own territory and having their own rulers. They were prosperous, profiting from the maritime gulf trade that passed through their land. The term Chaldean was from then on also used to denote Babylonia, until well into the Roman period.