Chaldea, "the Chaldees" of the KJV Old Testament, was a Hellenistic designation for a part of Babylonia, mainly around Sumerian Ur, which turned into an independent kingdom under the Chaldees. Known as "Ur of the Chaldees," it went on war campaigns against foreign dynasties ruling southern Mesopotamia, mainly the Akkadish and the Babylonians. It turned into a Babylonian colony in the early days of Hammurabi, but remained in a special position in relation to other cities ruled by Babylon in that region.