The Inca Khipu - knotted string records of the Inca Empire.  The amazingly organized Inca civilization of over 10 million people was kept running smoothly through the use of the khipu, essentially the Inca "writing" system.  But sadly, the world forgot how to read them.  This episode will explain what they are, what we know about them, and our most recent attempts to crack the khipu code.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/ 

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart