Catalog: KH0016 (AS015)

Section Information
Statistics:
Aliases:   AS015
Contributors:  Marcia & Robert Ascher
Museum:  Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Museum Number:  SA4035
Provenance:  Unknown
Region:  Unknown 		# of Groups & Cords:   4 Groups, 23 Cords - (13p, 10s)
# of Unique Cord Colors:  5
Benford Match:  0.4002
# Ascher Sums (pps, ips, cps, sps,...):  0 (0, 0, 0, 0,...)
Similar Khipu:  Previous (KH0024)  Next (RA001)
   KH0016 (AS015)
DataFile:
KH0016
Notes:
Ascher Databook Notes:
  1. Construction note:

    1. A W colored cord of 11.0 cm. was formed into a circle.
    2. This was attached to the main cord by passing it around then through itself.
    3. A long W colored cord was then attached to it. The resultant loop was 5.0 cm. with a 43.0 cm. tail. Spaced along the tail are single knots and small (c) flags. The flags are short cords, 1.0 cm. to 2.5 cm. in length, each with a finished end, attached in the same manner as + subsidiaries, colored either B or W. Starting from where the tail is attached to the loop, it is arranged as follows: 4.0 cm., 1s, 4.0 cm., 1s, 3.0 cm., 1s, 2.0 cm., B flag (1.5 cm.), 1.5 cm., 1s, 1.5 cm., W flag (1.5 cm.), 1.5 cm., B flag (1.0 cm.), 1.0 cm., 1s, 4.0 cm., 1s, 2.0 cm., B flag (1.5 cm.), 2.5 cm., 1s, 2.0 cm., B flag (2.0 cm.), 2.0 cm., B flag (1.0 cm.), 1.5 cm., W flag (2.5 cm.), 2.5 cm., 1s, 4.0 cm., 1s, 1.5 cm., W flag (2.0 cm.), 1.0 cm., W flag (2.0 cm.), 1.5 cm.
  2. The flags can be placed in 1-1 correspondence with the pendants carrying knots. Pendants 1 to 9 are colored B, W, B, B, B, B, W, W, W. The flags are in the same color order.
  3. Just as there are 9 pendants with knots and 9 flags, there are 9s knots on the tail. The s knots and flags can be placed in 1-1 correspondance. The s knots and flags are grouped by being interspersed with each other. The 5 knot groups are of sizes 3, 1, 2, 1, 2. The 5 flag groups are of size 1, 2, 1, 3, 2. Hence, flag group 5-i corresponds to knot group i(mod 5) for i=1, 2, 3, 4,
  4. See KH0026 for similar use of flags and knots.
Bibliography:

Bibliography for KH0016 (AS015):

Year Author Title Pages
1978 Ascher, Marcia, and Robert Ascher. Code of the Quipu: Databook. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor. Text: 53-54; 77; Figures: 54
1981 Ascher, Marcia, and Robert Ascher. Code of the Quipu: A Study in Media, Mathematics, and Culture. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. Text: 123; 125 (ex.6.9); Figures: pl.6.2 (p.125)
1986 Ascher, Marcia. Mathematical Ideas of the Incas.’ In Native American Mathematics, edited by Michael P. Closs, pp. 261–289. University of Texas Press, Austin. Text: 286-287
2017 Urton, Gary. Inka History in Knots: Reading Khipus as Primary Sources. University of Texas Press, Austin. Text: 263
2007 Witkowski, Olaf. Essai de décryptage des cordelettes quipus utilisées par les Incas comme moyen de communication: Un exemple d’ethno-cryptographie (Doctoral dissertation, Master’s thesis, Université Catholique de Louvain). Text: 101