Before databases and spreadsheets, people had to find other ways to keep track of information. One of the more interesting recording-keeping systems was the khipu—a cord made of human hair from which ...

High in the Peruvian Andes, in the remote village of San Juan de Collata, sits a wooden box that’s sacred to the locals who keep close guard over it. It contains 487 cords of twisted and dyed animal ...

Incan civilization was a technological marvel. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1532, they found an empire that spanned nearly 3,000 miles, from present-day Ecuador to Chile, all served by a ...

THE Incas left no doubt that theirs was a sophisticated, technologically savvy civilisation. At its height in the 15th century, it was the largest empire in the Americas, extending almost 5000 ...

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A 500-year-old Inca document made of alpaca wool and human hair was made by an unknown individual of low social status, shattering the common belief that only high-ranking imperial officials knew how ...

The people of the ancient Incan empire kept careful records of their economics, religion, demographics and history. Those records took the form of knotted cords called khipus. Until now, researchers ...

It has long been believed that within Ancient Inca society, khipus—intricate woven string objects used as a form of writing—were the preserve of the elite. But after studying human hair woven into a ...

Benjamin holds a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London and has previously worked in the fields of psychedelic neuroscience and mental health. Benjamin holds a Master's degree ...