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Leslie Leland Locke

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Revision as of 05:26, 2 January 2025 by TaphonomyMan (talk | contribs) (Created page for Leslie Leland Locke, adding basic information about his life and work.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) American mathematician and educator, known for his work on deciphering ancient Andean quipus
Leslie Leland Locke
Born1875
Grove City, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 28, 1943
Brooklyn, New York
CitizenshipUnited States
Known forDecipherment work on the Inca Quipu
Scientific career
Fieldsanthropology, archaeology

Leslie Leland Locke (1875–1943) was an American mathematician, historian, and educator, best known for his work on deciphering ancient Andean knotted records called quipus.

Locke's most prominent work, The Ancient Quipu or Peruvian Knot Record (1923), demonstrated how the Inca tied knots on quipu cords using a base-10 positional number system. In addition to his work on quipus, Locke is also recognized for his research on the history of mathematical instruments, particularly his studies and collection of calculating machines.

Early life and education

Locke earned both his B.A. (1896) and M.A. (1900) from Grove City College. He went on to study mathematics at Penn State, Cornell University, and at Teachers College at Columbia University.

Career

Locke was a "Foundation Member" of the History of Science Society (HSS) and at one point served as the society's Secretary.

Quipu reaserch

Locke's first work on the Andean quipu was published in 1912 as an article in American Anthropologist, titled "The Ancient Quipu, a Peruvian Knot Record". In this seminal work, Locke outlined a basic working model for how Inca quipus recorded numbers using three types of knots: the overhand knot, the figure-eight knot, and eight types of long knots. He showed that a knot's distance from the quipu's main cord was used to denote its value in a decimal system. He argued that quipus were not used directly for counting or calculating—e.g., like an abacus—but rather, they were only used to record information. Finally, he strongly believed quipu knots were used purely for numerical purposes.

Locke later expanded his initial 1912 article into a full-length book, publishing The Ancient Quipu or Peruvian Knot Record through the American Museum of Natural History in 1923. An early review hailed the book as "the first serious attempt to elucidate the quipu mystery." In the preface to one of his own works on quipus, Erland Nordenskiöld—one of the most prominent South American archaeologists and anthropologists of the early 20th century—praised Locke as "the founder of the modern study of the quipu".

Death

Locke passed away at his home at 950 St. John's Place in Brooklyn, New York, on August 28, 1943, at the age of 63. Some sources describe his death as sudden, while others report that he died "after a long illness".

Following his death, Locke left his collection of books on mathematics to his alma mater, Grove City College.

Major publications

  • Locke, L. Leland. 1912. “The Ancient Quipu, a Peruvian Knot Record.” American Anthropologist 14 (2): 325–32.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1923. The Ancient Quipu or Peruvian Knot Record. American Museum of Natural History.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1927. “A Peruvian Quipu.” In Contributions from the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 7:3–11. 5. New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1928. “Supplementary Notes on the Quipus in the American Museum of Natural History.” Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History 30 (3): 43–73.

Notes

  1. ^ Vallicrosa, J. Ma. Millás; Thorndike, Lynn; Montagu, M.F. Ashley (1943). "Notes and Correspondence". Isis. 34 (5): 410–412. ISSN 0021-1753.
  2. Locke, Leslie Leland (1923). The Ancient Quipu Or Peruvian Knot Record. American Museum of Natural History.
  3. "Computing Devices - L. Leland Locke". www.si.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  4. ^ "November 1943 Alumni News by Grove City College - Issuu". issuu.com. 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  5. Locke, L. Leland (1912). "The Ancient Quipu, a Peruvian Knot Record". American Anthropologist. 14 (2): 325–332. ISSN 0002-7294.
  6. Sarton, George (1924). "Fifteenth Critical Bibliography of the History and Philosophy of Science and of the History of Civilization. (To December 1923.)". Isis. 6 (2): 135–251. doi:10.1086/358234. ISSN 0021-1753.
  7. Nordenskiöld, Erland (1925). Calculations with years and months in the Peruvian quipus. Göteborg: Erlanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag.
  8. Karpinski, Louis C. (1943). "Leslie Leland Locke". Science. 98 (2543): 274–275. ISSN 0036-8075.
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