What type of information was recorded by quipu?
Quipu, also known as khipu, were recording devices used by the ancient Inca civilization. They comprised of knotted strings made of colored wool or cotton, with various types of knots and arrangements. While the exact deciphering of quipu is still a subject of ongoing research and debate, it is believed that they primarily recorded numerical and statistical information.
Quipu could represent numbers and quantities, such as counts of people, animals, or goods. They could be used for administrative purposes, taxation, census data, agricultural production, and historical records. Quipu might have also been used to record narratives, stories, or other non-numerical information, but the interpretation of such aspects remains speculative due to the lack of concrete evidence.
Overall, quipu served as a complex system for recording and storing information, allowing the Inca society to keep track of various aspects of their civilization.