Re: MEDIA: NOVA on Gamma Ray Bursters

From: Lee Daniel Crocker (lee@piclab.com)
Date: Sat Jan 12 2002 - 15:17:18 MST


> > 'civilizations'. They can be considered cultures, but not civilizations
> > due to this absence of writing technology.
>
> Interesting. What do you say about pre-Columbian South America (esp the
> Incas and Chimu)? As I understand these did have cities and complex large
> scale political organisation but no writing system. SD

They /did/ have "writing systems" if you include the quipu, which is a
reasonable equivalent, allowing them to keep permanent records of things,
do symbolic math, etc.

--
Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lee/>
"All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past,
are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified
for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC


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