The Incan quipus
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: The Incan quipus
zbMATH Open document ID: 1035.01004
DOI: 10.1023/A:1020835926872
author: Antje Christensen
published in: Synthese
publication date: 2003-04-27T00:00:00Z
review text: Quipus are a most intriguing element of the Inca civilization. The original use of these structured knotted cotton or wool cords are yet object of discussion. It seems they were registry systems, with quantitative and qualitative information, used for bureaucratic-administrative purposes. This paper, based mainly on the already classical studies of \textit{M. Ascher} and \textit{R. Ascher} [Code of the quipu. Ann Arbor: Michigan Univ. Press (1981; Zbl 0585.01001)] and of \textit{G. Urton} [The Social Life of Numbers. Austin: Univ. Texas Press (1997)], gives an interesting and well organized exposition of the quipus. The paper begins with a very brief historical introduction and then proceeds to describe the quipus, the way they are constructed, and their arithmetical content.
reviewed by: Ubiratan D'Ambrosio
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 01A12
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 57M25
zbMATH DE Number: 1901266
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: a:1020835926872
OpenAlex ID: W2076101826
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1901266