3. Divisions. — In a country so uniform and so devoid of natural features as this, political divisions could be only accidental or arbitrary. Few are found of any importance. The true ChaldsBa, as has been already noticed, is always in the geographers a distinct region, being the portion most southerly from Babylon, lying chiefly (if not solely) on the right bank of the Euphra- tes (Strnbo, xvi, 1, § 6 ; Ptolemy, v, 20). Babylonia above this is separated into two districts, called re- spectively Amordacia and Auramtis. The former is the name of the central territory round Babylon itself; the latter is applied to the regions toward the north, where Babylonia borders on Assyria (Ptol. v, 20).
4. Cities, — Babylonia was celebrated at all times for the number and antiquity of its cities. ** Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar," are the first towns mentioned in Scripture (Gen. x, 10). The "vast number of great cities" which the country possessed was noted by Herodotus (i, 178), and the whole region is, in fact, studded with huge mounds, each mound marking, beyond a doubt, the site of a considerable town. The most important of those which have been identified are Borsippa (now Birs-NUnrud), Sippara or Sepharvahn (Afosaib), Catha
CHALD^A
198
CHALD^EA
General Map of the Chaldwan and associated Empires.
(/JroAtm), Calneh (Niffer), Erech (FTarifca), Ur (i/ii- gheir), Chilmad (^Kalwadha\ LaranchA {Senhereh\ Is {HU\ Daraba {A1ckerhuf)\ but of tbese not fully, and of many others not at all, have the exact sites been determined, as the Accad of Genesis (x, 10) ; the Teredon of Abydenus {Fragm, 8) j AM^ Rubui^ etc.,
towns mentioned in the inscriptions. Two of these places — Ur and Borsippa — are of particular note. Of the rest, Erech, Lartincha, and Calneh were in early times of the most consequence, whUe Cutha, Sippara, and Teredon attained their celebrity at a coroparative- ly recent period. (See each name in its place.)
CHALD^A
199 CHALD-iEAN PHILOSOPHY
5. OancUs. — These constitated one of the most re- markable features of ancient Babylonia. Three prin- cipal canals carried off the waters of the Bnphrates to- ward the Tigris, above Babylon. These were, 1. The original " Royal river," or Ar-Malcha of BerosuB, which left the Euphrates at Perisabor or Anbar, and followed the line of the modem Sakktwgeh canal, passing by Akkerku^ and entering the Tigris a little below Bag- dad; 2. the Nahr Malcha of the Arabs, which branch- ed off at Ridhivaniyeh, and ran across to the site of Seleada; and, 8. the Nakr KtUha, which, starting firom the Euphrates about twelve mUes above Mosaib, passed through Cutha, and fell into the Tigris twenty miles below Uie site of Selenda. On the other side ot the stream, a large canal, perhaps the most important of aU, leaving the Euphrates at Hit, where the alluvial plain commences, skirted the deposit on the west along its entire extent, and fell into the Persian Gulf at Ihe head of the Bubian creek, about twenty miles west of the Shat el-Arab ; while a second main artery (the Pallacopa^ of Arrian) branched from the Euphra- tes nearly at Mosaib, and ran into a great lake in the neighborhood of Borsippa, whence the lands to the sooi^west of Babylon were irrigated. From these and other shnilar channels numerous branches were carried out, from which further cross cuts were made, until at length every field was duly supplied with the predous fluid.
6. Sea o/Nedjef, Chaldaan Manhes, eft?.— Chaldaea contains one natural feature deserving of special de- scripdon— the " great inland fresh-water sea of Ned- jef* (Loftus, p. 45). This sheet of water, which does not owe its origin to the inundations, but is a perma- nent, lake of considerable depth', surrounded by diff^ of a reddbh sandstone in places forty feet high, ex- tends in a south-easterly direction a distance of forty mfles, from about lat. 81° 63', long. 44°, to hit. 81° 26', long. MP 85'. Ite greatest width is thirty-five miles. It lies thus on the right bank of the Euphra- tes, fh)m which it is distant (at the nearest point) about twenty mOes, and receives from it a certain quantity of water at the time of the inundation, which flows through it, and is carried back to the Euphrates at Samava by a natural river course known as the Shat eUAtchan. Above and below the sea of Nedjef, from the Birs-Nimrud to Kufk, and from the south- eastern extremity of the sea to Samava, extend the famous Chaldsean marshes (Strab. xvi, 1, § 12; Arrian, £g). j4^ vii, 22), where Alexander was nearly lost ; but these are entirely distinct from the sea itself, depend- ing on the state of the Hindiyeh canal, and disappear- ing altogether when that is efi^tuaUy closed.
7. Productiane, — The extraordinary fertility of the Chald«an soil has been noticed by various writers. It is said to be the only country in the world where wheat grows wild. Berosus noticed this production {Fragtn, 1, § 2), and also the spontaneous growth of barley, sesame, ochrys, palms, apples, and many kinds of shelled fruit. Herodotus declared (i, 198) that grain commonly returned 200-fold to the sower, and occa- ■ionally 300-fold. Strabo made nearly the same as- sertion (xvi, 1, § 14) ; and Pliny said {Hitt. Nat. xviii, 17) that the wheat was cut twice, and afterwards was good keep fbr beasts. The palm was undoubtedly one of the principal objects of cultivation. According to Strabo it furnished the natives with bread, wine, vin- ogar, honey, porridge, and ropes ; with a fhel equal to charcoal, and with a means of fattening cattle and •heep. A Persian poem celebrated its 860 uses (Strab. ^ 1, 14). Herodotus says (i, 198) that the whole of the flat country was planted with palms, and Ammia- nna MarcelHnus (xxiv, 8) observes that fVom the point reached by Julian's army to the shores of the Persian Gulf iras one continuous forest of verdure. At pres- ^ palms are almost confined to the vicfaiity of the "▼erg, and even there they do not grow thickly except >l)oot the viUages on their banks. The soil is rich,