From dictionaries, based on the analysis of words, from chronicles, from all documents, it followed that there must have been its own full-fledged written language, and not just the knotted quipu script.
In addition, it is known that throughout Tiuatinsuyu the same laws applied. Judges could not rely only on their memory: this means that there was an accurate and, moreover, written code of laws. For example, in the report of the Viceroy of Toledo from 1582, it was said that “... 12 Indians were recently convicted by the Indians themselves according to the laws and customs to which they obeyed, and these laws were written down using kipu knots, and also with the help of signs, which the judges on the tables were marked with different colors. The judges, reading these signs, determined a worthy punishment for each...”
A Jose de Acosta writes: “Not one of the Indian peoples, of which there are many openly in our time, uses neither letters nor writing, but only two other methods, which are drawings and figures; This is known only between the Indians of Peru and New Spain.” Viceroyalty New Spain was a Spanish colony covering the territory of . Before the arrival of the Spaniards, it was located on it, in which the Aztec letter was used.
Chroniclers also reported that the Inca ruler Pachacutec “...ordered to paint the entire history of the Incas on large tables, which, framed in gold, were kept in a certain special sanctuary.” But the Incas, especially in the early period, never depicted either people or animals.
When the Spaniards invaded Cusco, they found temples full of gold in the Inca capital, and the walls of the temples were hung with colorful, painted fabrics. Many of these fabrics were destroyed by the conquistadors during their looting. Victoria began studying the surviving fabrics, suggesting that history was written on them Pachacuteca.
First of all, Victoria worked on fabrics known in science as “paracas fabrics”. These fabrics were found on the Paracas Peninsula, where one of the most interesting cultures of ancient Peru was born about three hundred BC. These fabrics attracted Victoria's attention primarily because among their patterns, images of ordinary bean grains were clearly distinguishable. Exactly the same bean grains were discovered on painted vessels of the Mochica Indian culture by the largest expert on ancient Geruanian ceramics, Raphael Oyle. Rafael Larco Oile had excellent intuition, but - alas! - too scant material for evidence. And linguistic authorities solidly rejected his assumptions that these beans could be signs of writing. Victoria knew well all the pros, but they did not seem convincing to her.
Two thousand paracas fabrics were stored in the storerooms of the National Archaeological Museum, in huge chests that hardly anyone had opened since the time they were placed there. And each was wrapped in several layers of fabric: white and painted. A thorough study of the tissues took twenty-one months. On some of them Victoria found images of beans. In addition, beans were painted on the foreheads of clay figurines of Felino, the cat god who was revered throughout South America. This finally convinced Victoria: the beans could not be chips for the game. For placing game chips on the forehead of the most revered deity is no less sacrilege than for a Catholic to bring a deck of greasy cards to the Madonna. And the beans on each felino were arranged differently; This is how different inscriptions differ from each other. Now Victoria was absolutely sure: beans are signs of writing. Victoria managed to identify three hundred and twenty-five bean signs. This was a very significant discovery.
The science of writing states: if a written language has thirty characters, it is an alphabet; if one hundred is a syllabary; from three hundred and above is hieroglyphic writing. For example, in the Mayan writing system, which is well known to American scholars, there are approximately four hundred characters. Consequently, ancient Peruvian writing was close to hieroglyphic. Compiling and systematizing the catalog tokapu, Victoria highlighted sixteen characters, which were encountered more often than others. But among the Incas, the number 16 was sacred.
And again Victoria buries herself in ancient manuscripts: is there an interpretation of at least one of these signs? ...The first Tocapu that were able to read were the words “Cuzco” and “Inca”. It was these tocapu that were most often found on Inca clothing and on cups. With incredible effort, we managed to make out the recording on one of the tunics of the Great Inca. This was an excerpt from the chronicle. Historical events were also recorded on the remaining tunics. Now it was possible to say with confidence: the wardrobe of every Great Inca was the code of laws of the empire, its historical memory... Judge for yourself, in what other writing is the tense of the verb indicated... by the color of the sign? That is, if some sign means, say, the verb “to go,” then, written in green paint, it means “walked,” in red, “I’m going,” and in blue, “I’ll go.”
Why was this letter forgotten? Chronicler Montesinos reports that the Incas had a period when they had their own writing - “quelque” in Quechua. These were parchments or special tree leaves on which they wrote. However, the Incas forbade its use. The fact is that during the reign of the Inca Tupaca Kauri Pachacuti several provinces did not agree to voluntarily join their kingdom. Great sacrifices were made to consult with Ilya Tisi Viracochey. The answer was that the cause of the “infection” was writing, which should no longer be used. Then Tupac Kauri Pachacuti passed a law prohibiting, under pain of death, the use of kelkas. After this, the Peruvians never used writing again.
About sacred writing, subsequently prohibited by their priests (after which only pile) wrote the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega(History of the Inca State, published in the series of Literary Monuments in the 1970s). Fabrics with patterns inscribed in squares along the border, depicted in the illustrations. But there is little scientific information about the signs of this letter and it is unlikely that scientists have such artifacts. ( I.K. Fedorov, MAE RAS)
Today, there are only 600 miraculously preserved examples of the ancient quipu in museums and private collections: Cornell University archaeologist Robert Ascher estimates that about 20% of them are not numeric. Back in 1981, he suggested that quipu is a special form of writing.
In the photo you see a khipu - an ancient Incan counting system, which consists of complex rope weaves and knots made of alpaca or llama wool or cotton (in the Quechua language khipu means “knot”, “to tie knots”, “counting”). One quipu can contain from several to 2500 threads of different colors and sizes.
Method of recording on a pile. The nodes in the upper third represent hundreds, those in the middle third represent tens, and those in the lower third represent units. A - base cord, B1-B3 - separate pendants used for recording. Drawing from the book of the Czech ethnographer Miloslav Stingl “The State of the Incas. Glory and death of the sons of the sun"
The oldest quipu dates back to approximately 3000 BC. e., and the first written mention of the quipu dates back to 1533 (the Spanish conquistador Hernando Pizarro described this counting system in his letter).
The quipu was widespread in the Inca Empire. According to the Spanish chronicler José de Acosta, “the entire empire was governed by quipus.” With the help of the quipu, they took into account, for example, the number of lamas, the number of warriors or the harvest, conducted a population census, and recorded taxes; Khipus were even used as a calendar.
The Incas developed a whole system for reading information. The main cord of the khipu was the beginning of the story. Thinner threads were attached to it obliquely, which were used to record data. The position of the knot on the cord showed the digital order (tens, hundreds, thousands), and the number of knots determined the prime numbers. But in order to read the knotted message, it was necessary to understand not only the knots and their position on the rope, but also know the designations of each color. So, for example, red meant the army, the army, white - silver, yellow - gold. All information was recorded by specially trained officials - kipukamayoks - and transmitted to the center, that is, in Cusco.
“Knot letters” were delivered by professional couriers—chasqui runners—along the imperial Inca road system. Convenience during transportation is an important advantage of the quipu, because messages were sometimes delivered hundreds of kilometers away, and parchment or tree leaves, which served as paper for the Incas, were not suitable for this. The bale could be crumpled and placed in a bag.
Many examples of Inca quipus, of various sizes and purposes, have reached us. There is even a special Khipu database (see Khipu database project). However, it is important not only to decipher these “letters”, but also to preserve them. Khipus are made from natural fibers, so they need special temperature, humidity and protection from fading. Store the bale on horizontal panels covered with acid-neutral paper. The cords are treated with special brushes and protected from insects.
Nikolai Nikolaevich Nepomnyashchiy
Today, there are only 600 miraculously preserved examples of the ancient quipu in museums and private collections: Cornell University archaeologist Robert Ascher estimates that about 20% of them are not numeric. Back in 1981, he suggested that quipu is a special form of writing.
In the photo you see a khipu - an ancient Incan counting system, which consists of complex rope weaves and knots made of alpaca or llama wool or cotton (in the Quechua language khipu means “knot”, “to tie knots”, “counting”). One quipu can contain from several to 2500 threads of different colors and sizes.
Method of recording on a pile. The nodes in the upper third represent hundreds, those in the middle third represent tens, and those in the lower third represent units. A - base cord, B1–B3 - separate pendants used for recording. Drawing from the book of the Czech ethnographer Miloslav Stingl “The State of the Incas. Glory and death of the sons of the sun"
The oldest quipu dates back to approximately 3000 BC. e., and the first written mention of the quipu dates back to 1533 (the Spanish conquistador Hernando Pizarro described this counting system in his letter).
The quipu was widespread in the Inca Empire. According to the Spanish chronicler José de Acosta, “the entire empire was governed by quipus.” With the help of the quipu, they took into account, for example, the number of lamas, the number of warriors or the harvest, conducted a population census, and recorded taxes; Khipus were even used as a calendar.
The Incas developed a whole system for reading information. The main cord of the khipu was the beginning of the story. Thinner threads were attached to it obliquely, which were used to record data. The position of the knot on the cord showed the digital order (tens, hundreds, thousands), and the number of knots determined the prime numbers. But in order to read the knotted message, it was necessary to understand not only the knots and their position on the rope, but also know the designations of each color. So, for example, red denoted the army, the army, white - silver, yellow - gold. All information was recorded by specially trained officials - kipukamayoks - and transmitted to the center, that is, in Cusco.
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"Knot letters" were delivered by professional couriers - chasqui runners - along the imperial Inca road system. Convenience during transportation is an important advantage of the quipu, because messages were sometimes delivered hundreds of kilometers away, and parchment or tree leaves, which served as paper for the Incas, were not suitable for this. The bale could be crumpled and placed in a bag.
Many examples of Inca quipus, of various sizes and purposes, have reached us. There is even a special Khipu database (see Khipu database project). However, it is important not only to decipher these “letters”, but also to preserve them. Khipus are made from natural fibers, so they need special temperature, humidity and protection from fading. Store the bale on horizontal panels covered with acid-neutral paper. The cords are treated with special brushes and protected from insects.
Nikolai Nikolaevich Nepomnyashchiy
The Incas were the name given to the ruling elite of the state and its main ruler, the Great Inca. This is where the whole nation got its name. Once upon a time, the Incas had their own large cities with beautiful palaces and temples. Paved roads stretched all over the country.
The Incas were engaged in crafts and agriculture. They mined and processed gold and silver. The Indians were experienced builders and knew how to fit one stone slab to another. The walls of their cities survived all the destruction of the conquistadors. The Incas developed art and science. Astronomy was most revered.
Why was writing needed?
From the book “History of the Inca State” it became known that orders were delivered not orally, but in writing, let’s call it that, although we said that they did not have a letter. These were knots tied on various threads of different colors, which were tied in a specific order, but not always in the same way... The Indians called these threads with knots “kipu”. Quipu has long disappeared as a form of writing, but Peruvian shepherds still use counting cords. One cord is used to count bulls, another to count cows, a third to count calves...
Do you think this is convenient?
In Greek there is a word “chronos”, it means “time”. The name of medieval records of historical events comes from it. One of the forms of chronicles is chronicles. The compilers are called chroniclers.
Here is a record made by one chronicler about what happened under the ruler of Huanacahui: “The Amauts, familiar with the events of those times from legends passed down from mouth to mouth, say that when this ruler reigned, there were writings and people who knew them... They taught other people to read and write... They wrote down what they could learn on banana leaves, dried them and then wrote on them...”
What was parchment made from?
In the capital of Cusco, under the ruler Apu Capac, a university was built, where they taught writing with letters and signs on parchment and banana leaves. However, under the next ruler, an epidemic broke out, and the priests banned writing. It was believed that it was knowledge of writing that led to trouble. On pain of death, it was forbidden to write and teach writing.
Knot letter "kipu"
These scrolls were sent to Spain and disappeared. And the boards in gold frames were burned because... The Spaniards were only interested in gold. The conquistadors destroyed the land of the Incas. Many written works were lost. It is impossible to restore. But from what remains, scientists are trying to learn about the Incas' past. For example, fabrics with designs similar to hieroglyphs, painted beans on jugs, or clay beans with designs drawn on them. An interesting incident occurred in a small village. The scientist saw an old woman writing a prayer in hieroglyphs. That is, ancient sacred writings.
American scientists claim that they are close to solving the knotted writing of the ancient Incas. Considered one of the world's great civilizations, the Inca Empire lasted from 1400 to 1532 AD. An ancient people lived in the Andes, along the west coast of South America. Now this territory is located in Chile and Colombia.
Colored bundles of laces with knots tied on them were used by the Indians to transmit information, writes the magazine Nature. These devices were called kipu and looked like this. Thinner cords were suspended from the main woolen or cotton rope, which could be replaced by a thick stick. They differed in color and length and were tied into simple and complex knots. The color of the laces, their thickness and length, the number of knots - all this had its significance. With the help of the quipu, the Incas stored important information and transmitted information about the size of military booty and the number of prisoners, about taxes collected and about the harvest of corn and potatoes.
New research on knotted writing was carried out by scientists from Harvard University - Gary Urton and Carrie Brezine. Using modern computer technology, experts studied 21 bales found in 1956 near the Inca palace in Puruchuco in what is now Lima, the capital of Peru. As the analysis showed, the pile contains encrypted texts with excerpts from peculiar accounting books. Urton and Brezine suggest that these were instructions for the lower classes, written by representatives of the highest levels of government.
It was also discovered that the seven quipus studied were connected to each other. The total on all cords of the same color on one khipu, for example, is the same as the number on the corresponding laces on another khipu, which in turn is equal to the total on a third kiphu.
Urton suggests that these kipus contain information about tax collections. The Incas paid taxes by working a certain number of days a year on “state projects.” Laces can represent these days, and knots can represent the results of work in a particular territory. Archaeologist Bill Conklin has a different opinion: he believes that the seven kipus carry information about sacrifices, to which the Incas attached great importance. Urton also admits this option, adding that further research will help solve the riddles of the ancient Indians.
A team of scientists has created a database of the number of knots and laces, colors and other features of 290 khipus. This information will be used in the analysis of the remaining knotted letters; in total, only 600 kipus have survived to this day.
