Counting on the Inca Incan Counting System Decoded?
Jan. 29, 2004 — The Inca invented a powerful counting system that could be used to make complex calculations without the tiniest mistake, according to an Italian engineer who claims to have cracked the mathematics of this still mysterious ancient population.
Begun in the Andean highlands in about 1200, the Inca ruled the largest empire on Earth by the time their last emperor, Atahualpa, was garroted by Spanish conquistadors in 1533.
This is basically the story of an engineer, Nicolino De Pasquale, who claims to have solved the mystery of certain geometric tablets (called yupana') "in about 40 minutes." We here at ArchaeoBlog are usually quite skeptical of non-archaeologists who make claims to have solved one "archaeological mystery" or another. After all, Erich von Daniken has been peddling his ancient astronauts schtick for over 30 years now. However, this one seems rather more palatable as it actually seems to work (in scientific parlance, it "seems to hold up empirically"). Perhaps the most appealing aspect of De Pasquale's hypothesis is the fact that he came up with his solution by recognizing (apparently) that the yupana worked on a base-40 numbering scheme. This doesn't necessarily mean the Inca themselves thought in terms of base-40, but at least in this one instance -- an abacus-like calculation tool -- such a system could prove handy and accurate.
Note the appropriate caveats by other researchers, of course. Just because De Pasquale's system seems to work does not mean it is the solution. Any explanation must be compared to other evidence (e.g., the writings of Spanish observers who stated that the Inca used a base-10 counting system) and that other possible explanations are not equally likely (this is the problem of equifinality). Still, a neat piece of work, if it holds up. Make sure to go through the slide presentation showing how it works.
More soggy news Soggy Balkan relics reveal ancient life
A waterlogged archaeological site in Croatia has given European archaeologists an insight into Bronze Age life.
Researchers from the U.K.'s University of Birmingham, the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia and the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments in Split, Croatia have uncovered an underwater site.
The site is in the Cetina River valley in Croatia, which so far has yielded metal, stone and timber artefacts, some dating back to 6000 BC.
This "site" (actually what seems to be an entire flooded valley filled with sites) seems stupendous. If the preservation is really that good, it ought to go a ways toward giving a picture of the nearly-complete inventory of Neolithic and Bronze age artifact inventory. Note also the importance of pollen studies in building a complete picture of the local environment.
Makin' music the Ur way Ancient harp to play again
A harp enthusiast is hoping to recreate the first working copy of the famous Harp of Ur, which was vandalised in Iraq's national museum following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Andy Lowings, 52, from Cambridgeshire, wants the replica instrument to be as close to the 4,750 year-old original as possible, even down to the source of the wood.
His £25,000 project caught the imagination of a nearby RAF squadron who agreed to collect two pieces of cedar wood from Basra and presented it to Mr Lowings on Wednesday.
I'm feeling old today. . .errr. . .young. Whatever. Age of Our Ancestors: How Our Genetic Adam Is Much Younger than Genetic Eve
eb. 1 — A new book, The Journey of Man, demonstrates how recent advances in genetics, particularly those involving the Y-chromosome, allow us to follow the arc of human migration out of Africa, our ancestral home.
Although Neanderthals and other hominids related to Homo sapiens date back hundreds of thousands of years, the book's author, geneticist Spencer Wells, shows that our origins are much more recent. Presenting the work of Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Richard Lewontin, and other eminent researchers, Wells argues convincingly that all men on earth (the Y-chromosome is passed only from father to son) can trace their roots to a particular male who lived in Africa, almost 60,000 years ago.
Writing in SOuth America? Rock discovery causes excitement
An ancient rock covered in carved symbols has been discovered in a South American jungle by an archaeologist from Cornwall.
Julien Chenoweth, from St Mawes, said a date test showed the carvings were as old as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
We admit to being rather dubious about this. Two things: 1) "The rock has been dated to 3,000 BC." Well, I rather doubt that; the rock is probably several million years old, and what you're dating isn't the rock, but the writing; and 2) How'd they date the writing? Rock art is notoriously difficult to date directly. We're waiting on this one.
More old city in Mexico City Mexico Scientists Find Ancient Settlement
MEXICO CITY - Archaeologists say they have discovered an ancient Teotihuacan settlement in central Mexico City, 30 miles from the pyramids where the culture flourished nearly 2,000 years ago.
The discovery of structures and tools on a hill just behind the landmark Chapultepec Castle in December suggests the Teotihuacan culture spread and influenced the area around Mexico City even earlier than previously thought, archaeologists said Wednesday while giving reporters a tour of the site.
The ancient city of Teotihuacan lies north of modern Mexico City. It remains largely a mystery, and was so even for the Aztecs, who are credited with founding Mexico City in the 1300s.
And still more politics and archaeology China, Korea Wrangle Over Ancient Kingdom
SEOUL, South Korea - The ancient kingdom of Koguryo, famed for its mighty castles and horseback warriors, has sprung back to life in a "war of history" between South Korea (news - web sites) and China that carries alarming modern-day implications.
The dispute has raised diplomatic hackles and symbolizes what many say are rival geopolitical designs on Northeast Asia, a region rich in conflict and currently riled over North Korea (news - web sites)'s nuclear weapons programs.
The wrangling could also influence the way future borders are drawn between two of Asia's biggest economic powers should the region become unstable.
Yeesh.
Back to Iraq and artifact trafficking One or two comments on the article referenced previously on how to reduce looting of archaeological sites (see Found artifacts).
One problem with archaeologists using amateurs/looters to "help" in the recovery of artifacts reflects a distinctly outdated notion of what modern archaeology is all about. It is not just about artifacts. The article mentioned above does mention "context" of course, which is correct as far as it goes, but it is still artifact-centric. The reason modern archaeology is so time- and money-intensive is because archaeologists today study far more than just artifacts. The "context" in which an artifact is found is not just important for dating or associative purposes (vis a vis other artifacts) but is important in and of itself. Amateurs, no matter how careful they are in removing artifacts, are simply not going to excavate in anywhere near the level of stratigraphic detail required, nor are they going to take acceptable notes describing the sediments they encounter while digging, nor are they going to take charcoal or other organic samples (and handle them properly to avoid contamination), nor are they going to take sediment samples for use in sedimentological studies or to analyze micro-artifactual remains (including pollen, floral, and faunal analyses), etc., etc. etc. The list goes on and on.
Further, it is doubtful that many fragmentary artifacts would ever be recovered as these would be of little interest to collectors. Would local villagers spend several hours a day attempting to reconstruct partial pots from a table full of sherds? They probably wouldn't even collect it if it wasn't recognizably a whole or nearly-whole artifact.
This is not to say the thesis of the article is in error -- it is a vexing problem in definite need of addressing -- but the notion that looting, even under some form of supervision by professional archaeologists, will produce a reasonable amount of knowledge about the past is probably quite farfetched.