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thumb A ''yupana'' (from Quechua yupay: count)〔(Santo Tomas, "Lexicon o Vocabulario de la lengua general del Peru", 1560 )〕 is an abacus used to perform arithmetic operations dating back to the time of the Incas ==Types== The term ''yupana'' refers to two distinct classes of objects: * table-yupana (or archaeological yupana): a system of trays of different sizes and materials, carved at the top of the device into geometric boxes, into which seeds or pebbles were placed, presumably for performing complex arithmetic calculations. The first of these tables was found in 1869 in the province of Cuenca (Ecuador) and marked the beginning of systematic studies on these objects. All archaeological finds are very different from each other.〔Radicati di Primeglio, ("Il sistema contabile degli Inca: Yupana e Quipu" ), 1979〕 * yupana of Poma de Ayala: a picture on page 360 of El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno written by the chronicler of the Indies Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, representing a 5x4 chessboard.〔Guaman Poma de Ayala, ("Primer Nueva Coronica y Buen Gobierno", 1615 )〕 The picture, although having some similarities with the majority of table-yupana, presents several differences from these, first of all, the shape of the boxes (rectangles), when those of table-yupanas are polygons of varying shape. Although very different from each other, most of the scholars who have dealt with table-yupana, have then extended its reasoning and theories to the yupana of Poma de Ayala and vice versa, perhaps in an attempt to find a unifying thread or a common method. It should also be noted that the Nueva Coronica was discovered only in 1916 in the library of Copenhagen and that part of the studies on it were based on previous studies and theories regarding table-yupanas.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Yupana」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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