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Inca Quipu (Khipu)

The Inca Empire (~1400-1532 CE) recorded data using knotted cords called quipu. They encoded numbers in base 10 using knot positions.

Colors indicated categories (gold=tribute, red=military, etc). Over 600 quipu survive today.

Click on cords to add knots. Click the top region for hundreds, middle for tens, bottom for ones.

Gold — Tribute/Tax
Brown — Population
Green — Agriculture
Red — Military
Blue — Water/Resources
Click cords to add knots