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Marine sandglass

Type Object Region Europe Time 1300–1800

The marine sandglass was a timekeeping device used aboard ships from the late European Middle Ages through the Age of Discovery, measuring fixed inte…

Timeline

  1. 1300–1400Mediterranean · MediterraneanItalian and Iberian sailors used sandglasses on deck to record sailing time and watches; Italian terms such as "ampolletta" entered navigational literature, and the device became standard shipboard equipment.
  2. c. 1480–1490Iberian Peninsula · Iberian PeninsulaPortuguese and Spanish ocean-going fleets were equipped with sandglasses of half-hour and one-hour sizes, used for speed estimation (heaving the log) and navigational logs, becoming part of the standard navigational instrument set of the Age of Discovery.
  3. 1491–1500Atlantic coast · AtlanticBy 1500 the marine sandglass, together with the compass, astrolabe, and charts, formed the navigational timekeeping system of Iberian ocean-going fleets, supporting watch discipline and speed estimation on transoceanic voyages.

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