The Compass

In the ancient times mariners used to orientate themselves at the stars, but they could not really rely on that method, because during the day and on cloudy nights there were simply no stars visible.

So about 200 BC the first compass was invented and changed the people’s lives completely. Suddenly it was so much easier to navigate, especially in the sea and voyages a little further away from the land did not seem so crazy anymore and the invention of the compass soon led to the discovery of the New World.

Before that, fortune tellers used lodestones (a mineral composed of an iron oxide which aligns itself in a north-south direction) to construct their fortune telling boards. Then people realized that these stones would be perfect for pointing out directions. That discovery led to the first compasses which were square with a spoon-shaped needle which’s handle always pointed south. The compass developed over the years until it finally was as we know it today, round and constantly pointing north.

We all know that shipping has always been important in Greece and still is today, so it is not unlikely that the compass that changed the navigation on the sea drastically was invented by the Greeks. Or maybe not? Maybe the compass was invented by someone else? What do you think?