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The Ancient

Chaldeans
Abigail Bowers, Anna Carlisle Worrell, and
Nathan Coe
1st Period

Instructions
-You will need:
A device
Colored pencils
Pen or pencil
Half sheet
A Map/Worksheet (we will give this to you)

-While we teach, fill out the worksheet.


-Use colored pencils to fill out the map when we
come to the map slide.
-Fill out your half sheet after the Government
slide.
-Get out a device so we can play Kahoot at the
end of class.

Basic Knowledge on the Chaldeans


When? Became most popular between the

times of 612-539 BCE, although evidence


shows they existed long before that.
Where? The neo(new or neolithic)

Babylonian Empire reached all throughout


the fertile crescent.

The Chaldeans
established the Neo-Babylonian
Empire, Restored Babylon, and
established their rule not just in
Mesopotamia, but all around the
Fertile Crescent.
What did they do?

Map of
Neo-Babylonian
Empire
Color the Neo-Babylonian
empire
Label the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers
Label Babylonia, Assyria,
Babylon, Jerusalem, and
Assur

Geography of the
Fertile Crescent

Tigris and Euphrates


Rivers
Mediterranean Sea
Mesopotamia Fertile Soil (River
valley)
Persian Gulf
Red Sea

Cities
-The Chaldeans took over the main city in Mesopotamia, Babylon.
-They also took over Nineveh, a bigger city in the upper region of Mesopotamia.
-They lived in Babylon and made it an extremely powerful city
- Jerusalem was also an important city to the Chaldeans

Government
-King Nabopolassar ruled The Chaldean empire from about 605 to 625 B.C. He is
the one responsible for taking over Babylon, and forming the Neo-Babylonian
empire.
-King Nebuchadnezzar was Nabopolassar son and was the most famous king of
the Chaldeans and Babylon. He ruled from about 605 to 655 B.C. He is the one
responsible for rebuilding Babylon and bringing it back to its original power.
-King Nabonidus was the last ruler of this empire and ruled from about 556 to 540
B.C. Historians think he was married to Nebuchadnezzar's daughter. In 539 B.C.,
the Persians took over Babylon by draining the Euphrates river and wading
through it and then going under the walls of Babylon. Persians ruled until about
140 B.C.

Get out a half sheet


Answer the question,
How do you think the Chaldeans stayed on top of the Neo-Babylonian
Empire?

Babylonian takeover
The Babylonian takeover
-When the Assyrians ruled the Babylonian empire, Hammurabi was the most influential king of Babylon
and made it into one of the most powerful city in Mesopotamia. When he died, the city fell apart.
-In 652 B.C., a war started about who should rule the Assyrian empire. The Chaldeans knew there was
weakness throughout the empire, so they went to attack and take it over. They brought allies with them.
-612 B.C., They destroyed Nineveh and the whole Assyrian empire fell apart.
-After the fall of the empire, a Chaldean named Nabopolassar took over the throne and built the
Neo-Babylonian empire (Chaldean empire). His son, Nebuchadnezzar renovated the city and built
beautiful structures. He rebuilt Babylon into the most powerful city in Mesopotamia.

Religion
-The Chaldeans were polytheistic
-Polytheistic-the worshiping of multiple gods or deities
-Religion and the gods and goddesses were very important to the Chaldean people. The Chaldeans
worshipped and built temples to honor Sumerian gods.
-Sumerians-people of an early civilization in southern mesopotamia
-The main gods they worshiped were: Anu, the god of the sky, and the ruler of all gods, Enlil, one of the
most important and powerful gods in all of Mesopotamia - so powerful the other gods cannot even look at
him, Enki, god of freshwater and knowledge, and Ereshkigal, goddess of the underworld.

Economic Systems
~Water improved communications and the trade system,
which stimulated the economy.
~Cultivation of crops
~Temples - A place of worship and
also a place of economic prosperity

Division of Labor and Hierarchy


The Chaldeans was in occurrence with the Neo-Babylonian Empire, in which they
dominated the area.
Kings were at the top of the social pyramid, in which it descended something like
this.
Division of Labor:
The Chaldeans were given a
variety of jobs to insure that the
empire would prosper. There
were farmers, scribes, artists,
architects, merchants, etc,.

Military
-Rebuilt Babylon and became known as the Neo Babylonian empire
-Used military often to fight for power and take over places as far as Jerusalem
-(601 B.C.)After the battle between Egypt
And the Chaldeans, they suffered a loss.
-With the fall of their favorite king
Nebuchadnezzar the 2nd, this marked the
slow decline of their empire.

Agriculture
- Restoration of Babylon
- Valued crops
- Hanging Gardens

Technology
-The Chaldeans created the sundial, which was used to tell what time it was.
-

They also created the first ever seven day week by using
astronomy/astrology.
Nebuchadnezzar built the famous Hanging Gardens to make Babylon look
more beautiful.
The Hanging
Gardens

The sundial

Writing
-

The Chaldeans spoke and studied the Sumerian language. They also spoke
Aramaic and Babylonian.
The earliest form of writing was based on pictograms.
Pictograms are pictures used to represent a word. They used pictograms to
communicate information such as crops or taxes.
They also used Hammurabis Code. Hammurabis code is a law code of
ancient Mesopotamia. Using this was a big step in the development of
fairness/equality under the law.
Pictograms
Hammurabis
Code

Art
Gold

Nebuchadnezzar built the famous Hanging Gardens during the remodeling of


Babylon.
Tress/flowers grew on its terraces and roofs
Also, they Chaldeans loved to decorate things with gold and silver.
Silver

Sources
Ancient Jewish Library
The Latin Library
Ancient Civilizations Textbook
Britannica
British Museum
Ancient Civilizations textbook

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