ETHAM 057900

Khipu, système de notation

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057900
Khipu, system of notation
Peru
Inca. 15th – 16th century
Cotton
Early collection
MEG Inv. ETHAM 057900
Geolocate the object
The Inca Empire (1400-1532 ap. J.-C.), which extended from central Chile to Ecuador, used a system of cords and knots (khipu), representing decimal numbers, to record a wide range of information. Khipucamayuc travelled throughout this immense territory to raise taxes and report back to the governors in Cuzco on the way the Empire was working.

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Pre-Columbian South America

Pre-Columbian cultural history is just as spectacular in South America as it is in Mesoamerica. This region also developed agriculture independently and, from the fourth century, formed states, without writing, the wheel or a market economy. The objects on display mostly come from the Andean region, particularly from Peru, the centre of complex societies and the greatest cultural deployment in this continent.

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