🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Did you know scholars debate whether Inca khipu directly evolved from Wari administrative practices?
Although most famously associated with the Inca, cord-based record traditions appear to have earlier roots in the Wari period. Archaeological evidence suggests that structured cord assemblies were present in Wari administrative contexts between 600 and 1000 CE. Such systems required trained individuals capable of interpreting knot patterns and cord hierarchies. These specialists likely tracked tribute quotas, labor drafts, and stored goods. The growth of provincial centers increased demand for accurate accounting. Without alphabetic writing, governance relied on tactile data systems. Specialized knowledge created bureaucratic roles distinct from agricultural labor. Administrative expertise became a pathway to influence. Information control underpinned political authority.
💥 Impact (click to read)
The emergence of record specialists indicates institutional complexity beyond simple chiefdom structures. Quantitative governance enabled resource redistribution across long distances. Administrative literacy, even in non-written form, strengthened state capacity. Specialists likely formed part of an elite bureaucratic class. Concentrated knowledge can stabilize empires by reducing uncertainty. Data systems, regardless of medium, facilitate large-scale coordination. The Wari example challenges narrow definitions of literacy.
For ordinary citizens, decisions shaped by unseen calculations could alter daily life. Labor assignments and tribute expectations flowed from recorded data. The specialists interpreting cords operated at a remove from fieldwork. This separation introduced new social hierarchies. Knowledge itself became power. Even without ink, numbers governed communities. Authority can be felt even when it is never read.
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