Editing Chaldea (section)

===End of the Chaldean dynasty===
[[Neriglissar]] succeeded Amel-Marduk. It is unclear as to whether he was in fact an ethnic Chaldean or a native Babylonian nobleman, as he was not related by blood to Nabopolassar's descendants, having married into the ruling family. He conducted successful military campaigns against the [[Greeks|Hellenic]] inhabitants of [[Cilicia]], which had threatened Babylonian interests. Neriglissar reigned for only four years and was succeeded by the youthful [[Labashi-Marduk]] in 556 BC. Again, it is unclear whether he was a Chaldean or a native Babylonian.

Labashi-Marduk reigned only for a matter of months, being deposed by [[Nabonidus]] in late 556 BC. Nabonidus was certainly not a Chaldean, but an Assyrian from [[Harran]], the last capital of Assyria, and proved to be the final native Mesopotamian king of Babylon. He and his son, the regent [[Belshazzar]], were deposed by the Persians under [[Cyrus the Great]] in 539 BC.

When the Babylonian Empire was absorbed into the Persian [[Achaemenid Empire]], the name "Chaldean" lost its meaning in reference to a particular ethnicity or land, but lingered for a while as a term solely and explicitly used to describe a societal class of astrologers and astronomers in southern Mesopotamia. The original Chaldean tribe had long ago became Akkadianized, adopting Akkadian culture, religion, language and customs, blending into the majority native population, and eventually wholly disappearing as a distinct race of people, as had been the case with other preceding migrant peoples, such as the Amorites, Kassites, Suteans and Arameans of Babylonia.

The Persians considered this ''Chaldean societal class'' to be masters of reading and writing, and especially versed in all forms of [[incantation]], sorcery, [[witchcraft]], and the magical arts. They spoke of astrologists and astronomers as ''Chaldeans'', and it is used with this specific meaning in the [[Book of Daniel]] (Dan. i. 4, ii. 2 et seq.) and by classical writers, such as [[Strabo]].

The disappearance of the Chaldeans as an ethnicity and Chaldea as a land is evidenced by the fact that the Persian rulers of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] (539–330 BC) did not retain a province called "Chaldea", nor did they refer to "Chaldeans" as a race of people in their written annals. This is in contrast to Assyria, and for a time Babylonia also, where the Persians retained the names Assyria and Babylonia as designations for distinct [[geo-political]] entities within the Achaemenid Empire. In the case of the Assyrians in particular, Achaemenid records show Assyrians holding important positions within the empire, particularly with regards to military and civil administration.<ref>"Assyrians after Assyria". Nineveh.com. 4 September 1999. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2011.</ref>