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Published online 11 August 2005 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news050808-11
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Scientists untangle Inca number-strings
Knotted threads carry signs of ancient accountancy.
Scientists have picked apart some 500-year-old calculations from the Inca empire.
The team deciphered the maths from a series of 'khipus': elaborate structures of coloured, knotted strings.
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