How did the Incas store and transmit information? Detailed answer

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How did the Incas store and transmit information? Detailed answer

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How did the Incas store and transmit information?

In the state of the ancient Incas (on the territory of present-day Peru), information was stored and transmitted using a quipu - an intricate "knot letter", which was owned only by special officials ("knot knitters").

The device for the quipu consisted of a cord and a system of hanging threads of various thicknesses and different colors tied to it. Information was transmitted by knots (number, size, knitting method and location on the thread) and the thickness and color of the thread on which they were knitted.

A typical device for a quipu contained: a cord, three-order hanging threads and an auxiliary hanging thread (a first-order hanging thread was attached to a cord, a second-order hanging thread was attached to a first-order hanging thread, a hanging thread 1rd order - on the 2nd order suspension thread, auxiliary thread-suspension - on the 1rd order suspension thread), as well as the determinant sign of the quipu content. Knots were used: simple (up to 3 pieces per thread), "Flemish" (up to 2 pieces per thread) and complex (up to 3 turns each). The threads were 9 colors, including shades, while there were both one-color threads and two- and three-color threads.

It is calculated that only one quipu, made up of the listed elements (including the colors of the threads) with three threads-pendants of the 1st order, gives 365 combinations. With the introduction of the fourth and subsequent threads, the number of combinations increases rapidly.

Meanwhile, a kippah weighing 6 kilograms was found in the temple of Pachacamac - a similar skein of wool will connect Moscow with St. Petersburg. Such a quipu could contain information comparable only to a multi-volume statistical reference book.

Author: Kondrashov A.P.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What is the magnitude and strength of an earthquake?

The magnitude of an earthquake is understood as a conditional value that characterizes the total energy of vibrations caused by an earthquake.

The magnitude makes it possible to compare earthquakes by the energy released in their sources. The magnitude of an earthquake is proportional to the logarithm of the energy of vibrations caused by an earthquake: an increase in magnitude by one corresponds to an increase in the energy of vibrations by a factor of 100. The magnitude of the earthquake is estimated on the Richter scale (not a single earthquake was recorded more powerful than 9 points on this scale).

Speaking about the strength of an earthquake, they mean the intensity of its manifestation on the earth's surface above its focus (shaking and destruction at the epicenter). To assess the strength of an earthquake, a 12-point seismic scale is used.

The strength of an earthquake depends not only on its magnitude, but also on the depth of the source and the geological conditions of the epicentral zone. If the earthquake source is located near the earth's surface, destruction at the epicenter can occur even with a magnitude of about 5 points, and with a source at a depth of hundreds of kilometers, there may be no destruction on the surface even at a magnitude of 7 points.

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