![]() ![]() These are noteworthy Chinese literary references in evidence for its antiquity: ![]() There is disagreement as to exactly when the compass was invented. These early compasses were made using lodestone, a special form of the mineral magnetite that aligns itself with the Earth’s magnetic field. The earliest Chinese compasses were probably not designed for navigation, but rather to order and harmonize their environments and buildings in accordance with the geomantic principles of feng shui. Model of a Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) south-indicating ladle or sinan. No other hematite artifacts have been found. Other researchers have suggested that the artifact is actually a constituent piece of a decorative ornament. The artifact now consistently points 35.5 degrees west of north, but may have pointed north-south when whole. ![]() The artifact is part of a polished lodestone bar with a groove at one end (possibly for sighting). Carlson speculates that the Olmecs used similar artifacts as a directional device for astrological or geomantic purposes. If true, this "predates the Chinese discovery of the geomagnetic lodestone compass by more than a millennium". This enabled mariners to navigate safely far from land, increasing sea trade, and contributing to the Age of Discovery.īased on his find of an Olmec hematite artifact in Mesoamerica, radiocarbon dated to 1400-1000 BC, astronomer John Carlson has suggested that the Olmec might have discovered and used the geomagnetic lodestone compass earlier than 1000 BC. And, when the sun or other known celestial bodies could be observed, it enabled the calculation of latitude. The invention of the compass enabled the determination of heading when the sky was overcast or foggy. Ancient mariners often kept within sight of land. Prior to the introduction of the compass, position, destination, and direction at sea was primarily determined by the sighting of landmarks, supplemented with the observation of the position of celestial bodies.
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