Untangle, But Never Untie
I was stunned. When I arrived at Museo Leymebamba, my goal had been to inventory and record every khipu housed there for my dissertation, but I had not expected to encounter one still completely tangled.
Mackinley FitzPatrick
Mackinley FitzPatrick is an Archaeology PhD candidate at Harvard University whose current research examines khipus recovered from the site of Laguna de los Cóndores, Peru, as a way to better understand Inka khipu structure, production, and use.
Have We Found the “Rosetta Khipus”?
One of the most frequent questions I get from both academics and the public is whether anything comparable to the Rosetta Stone exists for khipus. To the excitement, and disappointment, of nearly every audience I speak to, the answer is both yes and no.
Can We Use AI for Khipu Decipherment?
On paper, it would seem like using artificial intelligence (AI) to decipher khipus, the intricate knotted cord recording devices of the Inka Empire, would be a perfect match...