JD says some complex societies like the Incas didn't develop writing. Why not?

Question

JD says some complex societies like the Incas didn't develop writing. Why not?

Answer 1

Probabaly because oral history was such a prevalent form of communication and was so reverred that a writing system was never neccessary. Also, writing is a huge development, one which has only occured de novo a couple of times in the world

Answer 2

Most cultures didn't invent writing.  There are only a few known independent developments of writing in history; China, the Near East/Middle East for example.  The Romans didn't develop writing, they learned it from the Etruscans, who learned it from the Greeks, who learned it from the Phoenicians, who learned it from....

The Incas had fewer contacts, so it was less likely statistically to have writing be learned from a neighbor.  And that is with out factoring in the later development of agriculture, thus having less time to develop it.

Answer 3

Because they were able to remember everything in their heads!

Answer 4

We tend to think of societies in various states of evolution, which is a big anthropological no-no.  It's an excercise in patience, understanding, and cultural relativism to realize oral history is just as reliable as writing, at least to the culture in question.  We're brought up in a culture where the Big 3 religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), all with holy texts, are at the forefront and writing plays an integral part in our cultural identity, but for the Incas, they're culture didn't require it, which isn't to devalue the culture at all.