Ancient History

Quipu: How 132 Knots Matched a 1670 Spanish Census

The Inca ran an empire of millions using knotted cords instead of an alphabet. In 2016 a Harvard undergrad matched six of them to a 1670 census, name for name.

Mayan Numeral System: Its Zero Predates the Oldest Confirmed Maya Date

The Mayan numeral system's zero is usually credited to the Maya. The oldest confirmed example is from an earlier culture, predating confirmed Maya use by roughly two centuries.