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== Chaldean Identity ==
Chaldeans have several churches (see below). They speak, and many can read and write, dialects of [[Chaldean language|Chaldean Neo-Aramaic]].<ref>Florian Coulmas, ''The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems'' 23 (1996)</ref>
Neo-Aramaic exhibits remarkably conservative features compared with [[Imperial Aramaic]].<ref>J.G. Browne, "The Chaldeans", ''Journal of the Royal Society of Arts'' 85 (1937)</ref>
=== Other Related Self-designation ==={{Main|Chaldean Names of Syriac Christians}}
The communities of indigenous pre-Arab Chaldean Neo-Aramaic-speaking people of Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iran, Turkey and [[Lebanon]] and the surrounding areas advocate different terms for ethnic self-designation.
* "Chaldeans", after the ancient [[Mesopotamia]], advocated by followers of the [[Chaldean Church of the East]], the [[Ancient Church of the East]], followers of the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]] and Chaldean [[non Catholics]]. ("Chaldeans"),<ref name="Catholic Encyclopaedia">[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05230a.htm "Eastern Churches"], ''[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]'', see "Eastern Syrians" and "Western Syrians" respectively. Modern terminology within the group is Western Chaldeans and Eastern Chaldeans respectively, while those who reject the Chaldean identity opt for Syriacs or Aramean rather than Chaldean.</ref> and some communities of the Syriac Orthodox Church and Syriac Catholic Church ("Chaldeans"). Those identifying with Chaldea, and with Mesopotamia in general, tend to be from Iraq, northeastern Syria; southeastern Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Georgia; southern Russia and [[Azerbaijan]]. It is likely that those from this region are indeed of Chaldean/Mesopotamian heritage as they are clearly of pre-Arab and pre-Islamic stock. Furthermore, there is no historical evidence or proof to suggest the indigenous Mesopotamians were wiped out; Chaldea existed as a specifically named region until the second half of the 7th century AD. Most speak Chaldean and the Mesopotamian dialects of Neo-Aramaic. [[Chaldean nationalism]] emphatically connects Modern Chaldeans to the population of ancient Mesopotamia and the Neo-Chaldean Empire. A historical basis of this sentiment was disputed by a few early historians,<ref>{{cite web|title=Early History of Chaldea to 5300 B.C.|url=http://www.kaldaya.net/Articles/500/Atricle575_Sep12_07_Chaldean.html|year=2005|quote=The survival of the Chaldean people will always remain a unique and striking phenomenon in ancient history. Other, similar kingdoms and empires have indeed passed away but the people have lived on. ... No other land seems to have been sacked and pillaged so completely as was Chaldea .}}</ref> but receives strong support from modern [[Sumeriologists]] like Robert D. Biggs and Giorgi Tsereteli <ref>{{cite journal |author=Biggs, Robert |year=2005 |title=My Career in Sumeriology and Near Eastern Archaeology |journal=[[Journal of Chaldean Academic Studies]] |volume=19 |issue=1 |publisher=<!-- Oriental Institute, University of Chicago† -->|url=http://www.kaldaya.net/2010/News/04/April01_2010_E3_Akitu7310_TripToElMontePark.html |format=HTML |authorlink=Kaldaya.net}} pp. 10, "Especially in view of the very early establishment of Christianity in Chaldea and its continuity to the present and the continuity of the population, I think there is every likelihood that ancient Chaldeans are among the ancestors of modern Chaldeans of the area." </ref>
