hrates; when the communication is
cut off it becomes very unpalatable, and those who dwell in the vicinity
are no longer able to drink it. This result is attributed to the
connection of the lake with rocks of the gypsiferous series.
It is obvious that the only natural divisions of Chaldaea a proper are
those made by the river-courses. The principal tract must always have
been that which intervenes between the two streams. This was anciently a
district some 300 miles in length, varying from 20 to 100 miles in
breadth, and perhaps averaging 50 miles, which must thus have contained
an area of about 15,000 square miles. The tract between the Euphrates
and Arabia was at all times smaller than this, and in the most
flourishing period of Chaldaea must have fallen short of 10,000 square
miles.
We have no evidence that the natural division of Chaldaea here indicated
was ever employed in ancient times for political purposes. The division
which appears to have been so employed was one into northern and southern
Chaldaea, the first extending from Hit to a little below Babylon, the
second from Niffer to the shores of the Persian Gulf. In each of these
districts we have a sort of tetrarchy, or special pre-eminence of four
cities, such as appears to be indicated by the words--"The beginning of
his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad and Calneh, in the land of
Shinar." The southern tetrarchy is composed of the four cities, Ur or
Hur, Huruk, Nipur, and Larsa or Larancha, which are probably identified
with the Scriptural "Ur of the Chaldees," Erech, Calneh, and Ellasar.
The northern consists of Babel or Babylon, Borsippa, Cutha, and Sippara,
of which all except Borsippa are mentioned in Scripture. Besides these
cities the country contained many others,--as Chilmad, Dur-Kurri-galzu,
Ihi or Ahava, Rubesi, Duran, Tel-Humba, etc. It is not possible at
present to locate with accuracy all these places. We may, however, in
the more important instances, fix either certainly, or with a very high
degree of probability, their position.
Hur or Ur, the most important of the early capitals, was situated on the
Euphrates, probably at no great distance from its mouth. It was probably
the chief commercial emporium in the early times; as in the bilingual
vocabularies its ships are mentioned in connection with those of
Ethiopia. The name is found to have attached to the extensive ruins (now
about six miles from the river, on its right
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