## Friday, August 19, 2005 ... //

### Incan string theory

Some people complain that string theory is an invention of the Western civilization and it does not apply elsewhere. We're happy to inform you that according to the newest computer analysis, string theory was developed in the Andean empire roughly 1500 A.D:

It seems likely that the local bureaucrats were actually using some version of level-truncated string field theory with different levels computed by different officers:
• "Local accountants would forward information on accomplished tasks upward through the hierarchy, with information at each successive level representing the summation of accounts from the levels below," Urton says.
New Scientist does not explain whether some non-perturbative effects were known to the Inca bean counters.

#### snail feedback (2) :

So that 500 years after string theory is still unable to fullbill its promises :-D

Well, seriously, the topic of knotted writting systems is a amazing one. Besides quipus, some such systems had been described also in Asia. One could include Weaved systems, and even the polynesian "maps of waves".