Background
Ascher, Robert was born on April 28, 1931 in New York City. Son of Alfred and Claire (Eliscue) Ascher.
( The Incas of ancient Peru possessed no writing. Instead...)
The Incas of ancient Peru possessed no writing. Instead, they developed a unique system expressed on spatial arrays of colored knotted cords called quipus to record and transmit information throughout their vast empire. The present book is based on a firsthand study of actual quipus that survived the destruction of the Inca civilization. Written by a mathematician and an anthropologist, this book acquaints the reader with the cultural context of the quipus, the problem of interpreting artifacts from another culture, and the place of the quipu-maker in Inca culture. Although no previous mathematical knowledge is assumed, the reader is introduced to the mathematical ideas embedded in the quipus and learns how to make a quipu. Enhanced with over 125 illustrations, this unusual and thought-provoking study will interest mathematicians, historians, anthropologists, archeologists, and students of folk art with its unique perspective on the way in which pieces of colored string serve to embody a rich, logical, numerical tradition and are, ultimately, a metaphor for the civilization that created them. Preface. Exercises and answers within chapters.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486295540/?tag=2022091-20
anthropologist archaeologist educator film producer
Ascher, Robert was born on April 28, 1931 in New York City. Son of Alfred and Claire (Eliscue) Ascher.
Doctor of Philosophy, University of California at Los Angeles, 1960.
Professor department anthropology Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1960—2002, emeritus professor anthropology, since 2003, professor department theatre, film and dance Graduate School, since 1960. Fieldwork in Turkey, Mexico, England, Peru, United States, Israel, since 1960. With United States Army, 1954-1956.
( The Incas of ancient Peru possessed no writing. Instead...)
(Will be shipped from US. Used books may not include compa...)
Married Marcia Alper, March 10, 1956.