ing chapter that Chaldaea, in the earliest
times to which we can go back, seems to have been inhabited by four
principal tribes. The early kings are continually represented on the
monuments as sovereigns over the Kiprat-arbat, or, Four Races. These
"Four Races" are called sometimes the Arba Lisun, or "Four Tongues,"
whence we may conclude that they were distinguished from one another,
among other differences, by a variety in their forms of speech. The
extent and nature of the variety could not, of course, be determined
merely from this expression; but the opinion of those who have most
closely studied the subject appears to be that the differences were great
and marked-the languages in fact belonging to the four great varieties of
human speech--Hamitic, Semitic, Arian, and Turanian.

The language which the early inscriptions have revealed to us is not, of
course, composed equally of these four elements. It does, however,
contain strong marks of admixture. It is predominantly Cushite in its
vocabulary, Turanian in its structure. Its closest analogies are with
such dialects as the _Mahra_ of Arabia, the _Galla_ and _Wolaitsa_ of
Abyssinia, and the ancient language of Egypt, but in certain cases it
more resembles the Turkish. Tatar, and Magyar (Turanian) dialects; while
in some it presents Semitic and in others Arian affinities. This will
appear sufficiently from the following list:

[Illustration: PAGE 42]

_Dingir, or Dimir,_ "God." Compare Turkish _Tengri_.
_Atta,_ "father." Compare Turkish atta. _Etea_ is "father" in the
Wolaitsa (Abyssinian) dialect.
_Sis,_ "brother." Compare Wolaitsa and Woratta _isha_.
_Tur,_ "a youth," "a son," Compare the _tur-khan_ of the Parthians
(Turanians), who was the Crown Prince.
_E,_ "a house." Compare ancient Egyptian _e,_ and Turkish _ev_.
_Ka,_ "a gate." Compare Turkish _kapi_.
_Kharran,_ "a road." Compare Galla _kara_.
_Huru,_ "a town." Compare Heb. [--]
_Ar,_ "a river." Compare Heb. [--] , Arab. _nahr_.
_Gabri_, "a mountain." Compare Arabic _jabal_.
_Ki,_ "the earth."
_Kingi,_ "a country."
_San,_ "the sun."
_Kha,_ "a fish"(?).
_Kurra,_ "a horse." Compare Arabic _gurra_.
_Guski,_ "gold." Compare Galla _irerke_. _Guski_ means also "red" and
"the evening."
_Babar,_ "silver," "white," "the morning." Compare Agau _ber,_ Tigre
_burrur_.
_Zabar,_ "copper." Compare Arabic _sifr_.
_Hurud,_ "iron." Compare Arabic _hadid_.
_Zakad,_ "the head." Compar