An Inca Mystery: how did they manage without writing things down? wonders Griselda Heppel
Recently I’ve found myself wondering: Why did we start to write? I don’t mean, what made you or me want to write books/plays/poems/utter drivel – but the writing itself. What drove people to invent a system of setting words down for others to read? Aboriginal rock drawings, Arnhemland, Australia It can’t be just to transmit knowledge. Plenty of ancient cultures did this perfectly well by word of mouth; aborigines in Australia built up a wealth of learning vital to survival which they passed down through generations in this way, from the medicinal properties of plants to hunting techniques to how to find water. Wall paintings in the Northern Territories show how they used storytelling: wallabies and snakes interweave with figures holding weapons or performing rites. A kind of writing, perhaps – and not. When the pictures tell the story, you don’t need words. So what did make writing necessary? According to my anthropologist husband, the need to record ...