Exploration

NAVIGATE WITHOUT A COMPASS

ANCIENT SEAFARING TECHNIQUES BEFORE THE 12TH CENTURY CE
5 ANCIENT MARINERS
PYTHEAS OF MASSALIA NEARCHUS
20/06/2013 11:28

How to

Shades
Used to help stop glare and make it possible to position the Sun on the horizon through your telescope.

Index mirror
The purpose of this is to capture the Sun or pole star; the angle at which it is located will then be used to establish your position.

ANATOMY OF A SEXTANT
Telescope
The viewing point through which you aim at the horizon, before moving the index bar to align the Sun and establish latitude.

CIRCA 350 285 BCE

A Greek explorer who became the first person to describe the Midnight Sun in northern Europe.

First invented as a device for divining as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty (around 206 BCE), the compass was adopted for maritime navigation by the early-12th century CE. However, we know that many cultures were sailing well before this so how exactly did they navigate Earths vast oceans?

Arc
This is the measurement readout, showing the angle of the index mirror when the Sun has been positioned correctly.

Index bar
Used to move the mirror. The gap is the viewing point for determining the Suns altitude relative to your current position.

CIRCA 360 300 BCE

Nearchus provided details for the book Indica, describing India after Alexander the Greats conquest.

EUDOXUS OF CYZICUS
130 BCE
A Greek navigator, he is the first recorded European to sail using the monsoon winds in Asia.

HANNO THE NAVIGATOR

500 BCE
Page 1 of 4

Most famous for his exploration of the west African coast, he made it farther south than anyone before.

FLOKI VILGERDARSON
NINTH CENTURY CE
Credited with discovering Iceland, he used three ravens to help him find land one of which led to Iceland.

01

Exploring by day

During daylight hours, you will be able to make out points of reference on land such as mountains or large structures as well as follow the path of the Sun itself. When possible, do as the ancient mariners would and stay within sight of the coast and use these landmarks to guide you. This also means youre never too far from terra firma for supplies.

02

Exploring by night

Once the Sun goes down and the coast is no longer visible and given the general lack of visibility moving closer to the land is not recommended due to the increased risk of running aground in shallow water and other dangers like reefs. Instead grab your star charts and look upwards to make use of the night sky.

22

Exploration

How not to navigate

Having found fame on his explorations in Asia for the Egyptian ruler, Ptolemy VIII, the Greek navigator Eudoxus of Cyzicus later became intrigued by the African coastline, when on the return journey of his second voyage to India, he was blown south of the Gulf of Aden. On this detour he discovered the remains of a ship and, from its appearance and the details gathered from natives, Eudoxus concluded it had originated from Spain and had, albeit unsuccessfully, circumnavigated Africa. This inspired him to attempt rounding the continent himself. Setting off from the same point in Spain (Gades, which is modern-day Cdiz), his first attempt proved too difficult due to weather and distance, and he was forced to turn back. On his second attempt, Eudoxus vanished and his fate has never been discovered, though it is generally assumed he and his crew foundered during the attempt to complete the ambitious journey.

NAVIGATION TOOLS
1ST CENTURY BCE

THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM

Built with up to 30 gears, this ahead-of-its-time device worked like a modern clock to predict the location and alignment of stars.

The Big Dipper

The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) The Little Dipper (Ursa Minor)
North Star

JACOBS STAFF
400 BCE
This device was used to measure angles eg the angle between the horizon and the Sun in order to establish a ships latitude.

North Star

Cassiopeia

03

Find the North Star

The most common point of reference in the night sky for sailors has always been the North Star (Polaris), which sits directly above the Earths North Pole. Its relatively easy to find given that its one of the brightest stars in the sky. It can also be located by following down from the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) constellation which sits above it.

04

Other constellations

That is not to say the North Star is the only celestial body to guide you there are many other stars that move little and dont set that can serve as great guides when youre out at sea. For example, take advantage of constellations Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper either side of the North Star to more accurately gauge your heading.

SUNSTONE

13TH CENTURY CE
Used by Viking navigators on cloudy days to determine the location of the Sun thanks to the way it polarised/refracted light.

USE THE MOON

N/A
If the Moon rises before the Sun sets it is trailing the Sun and so the bright side will point approximately west.

05

Sound out your depth

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Donsimpson

Another good reference for navigators is the oceans depth, as this will give you a good idea of how far you are from land. To establish how deep the water beneath you is, you need to drop a sounding weight into the sea, with its attached rope serving as measurement. As well as depth, these devices can also collect samples from the ocean floor.

06

Let birds lead the way

If for some reason you lose sight of the coastline during the day and therefore have no stars to refer to you can turn to the animal kingdom. A clever technique as a final resort is to release birds that are kept on board and then follow them as they fly towards land. This is something the Vikings did, using ravens to take them to new shores.