compass+of+the+Song

=Compass of the Song= =By: Sammie=



The ancient Chinese were the first to make a compass. At first it was spoon shaped like in the picture above but later in time it got to look more like the compass we know today. It is made of lodestone or magnite ore. It was often referred to as “the south pointer.” It was placed on a cast bronze plate called “a heaven plate.” Or a diviner’s board that had the eight trig grams. It had twenty-four directions (based on constellations.) And twenty-eight lunar mansions (based on the constellations dividing the equator.) often the big dipper also known as the great bear was drwn within the center disk. The square symbolized earth and the cirle sympolized heaven. In these inscribed the azimuthal points realating to the constalations. It’s main use was geomancy (prognostication) to detirmine the best location and time such as funerals.(burrials.) in a culture that placed extreme importance on reverance for ancestors, this remained an important tool well into the ninteth century. Even in modern times some people use this device for fung shui- meaning wind and water. It is also used for locating buildings. The compass was used for geomancy a long time before it was used for navigation.

Ancient chinese alchemists realized that the magnite ore would point to the magnetic north. They didn’t understand this because they belived that there were north pointers and south pointers.

The ancient Chinese made the compass by making small needles from the magnetic metal, these needles floated in a reed bowl of water, so that the needle could spin and align itself along a north south axis. This is how compases were made.

To the ancient chinese south was the reigon of brightness. It’s energy was calming. The sage ruler who faced south was governing in harmony with the universe. the compass also helped sailors find there way when it was to cloudy to see the stars. In this discovery the chinese were way ahead of the euoropeans.

The ancient chinese were very smart people they developed a lot of things we still use today. Some of it we couldn’t live without.