🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
The Inca Empire later used khipu extensively to manage taxation and census data.
Excavations at Caral uncovered knotted fiber cords interpreted by some scholars as administrative tools. These artifacts date to roughly 2600 to 2000 BCE. Although not fully deciphered, their structural similarity to later Inca khipu suggests continuity in Andean information systems. Administrative oversight of irrigation, trade, and construction would have required tracking mechanisms. Textile-based recording fits regional technological strengths. The absence of ceramic tablets or written glyphs does not imply administrative absence. Information could be encoded materially without script. Fiber carried data.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Administrative innovation predates formal writing in many regions. Norte Chico’s fiber systems highlight alternative bureaucratic models. Institutional memory may reside in tactile media rather than inscriptions. Recognizing khipu precursors deepens Andean historical continuity. Governance adapts to material culture. Record-keeping shapes authority. Soft systems sustain hard power.
For officials handling knotted cords, data became physical. Counting and encoding through touch likely reinforced cognitive retention. The psychological link between texture and memory differs from reading text. The irony is that fragile threads may represent one of humanity’s earliest accounting tools. Fiber anchored governance.
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