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Compass Use in Navigation

Type Object Region China Time 1001–1100

In the Song the compass evolved from sinan and guiding fish into a practical floating-needle compass, first applied to sea navigation and underpinnin…

Timeline

  1. c. 1000–1020Bianjing · HenanIn the Song, natural lodestone was ground into needles floated in a bowl of water or suspended by thread to swing freely and point north-south. Shen Kuo's Dream Pool Essays systematically recorded compass manufacture and magnetic declination, marking the maturation of magnetic knowledge.
  2. 1021–1030Quanzhou port · FujianSong sea ships fixed compasses on deck, recording 'compass routes' with charts of course and bearing for all-weather navigation. Zhu Yu's Pingzhou Ketch and other texts note that merchant ships 'relied solely on the magnetic needle for the sea route', making the compass an essential tool for ocean voyaging.
  3. 1031–1100Southeast China coastal ports · FujianThe compass was improved into a disc with an inset needle marked with 24 directions, used with star-altitude methods to raise navigational accuracy. Song maritime trade spread it indirectly via Arab merchants to the Mediterranean, laying groundwork for Europe's later Age of Discovery.

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