Questions

Research questions are the building block of our platform of scientific inquiry. Key questions are the ones at the heart of a mystery; every other question helps answer one of them.

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Inka khipus: the knotted-cord records3 key questions · 4 questions · 0 answered

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QuestionWhere it stands

KeyDo any khipus record language, or only numbers and categories?

Most likelyKhipus record numbers and the categories they belong to; colour, fibre and attachment label what is counted…

Can specific khipus be matched to the colonial documents that transcribe or describe them?

Most likelyThe Santa Valley khipus record the 1670 revisita, and more such pairs can be found in colonial archives

KeyIs the khipu number system positional with a zero, or non-positional?

Most likelyKhipu numbers are base-ten positional, with an empty position standing for zero

KeyWho made and read khipus?

Most likelyKhipu making extended beyond the elite to commoners and local communities