quipu, Quechua khipu (“knot”), quipu also spelled quipo, an Inca accounting apparatus in use from c. 1400 to 1532 ce and consisting of a long textile cord (called a top, or primary, cord) with a varying number of pendant cords. The pendant cords may also have cords (known as subsidiaries) attached.

How old is the quipu?

Quipus have been found all over the Andes, and the earliest examples are over 5,000 years old. The Incas refined Quipu to a more sophisticated level. The Inca numeric system is based on ten.

Who invented the first quipu?

History of quipus

The Inca used quipus throughout their reign in the Andes, but they certainly weren't the first culture to use them. “[Quipus] were actually found in the ruins here 4,000 years before the Incas showed up,” says MacQuarrie. Their use dates as far back as 2600 BCE up until 1532 CE.