日常英語 沉船中發(fā)現(xiàn)世上最早航海星盤

一個從一艘沉船中挖掘出的史前器物可能是目前世上發(fā)現(xiàn)的最早用于導航的工具。海洋考古學家說這個物體是一個“星盤”，海員在航行中用它測量太陽的高度，以確定所在位置。這個星盤是在1503年在印度洋暴風雪期間沉沒的一艘葡萄牙船艦中找到的。

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The slim bronze disc was discovered during the excavation of the Esmeralda shipwreck – a Portuguese vessel that was exploring the Indian Ocean when it sank in a storm in 1503.

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The object is decorated with a royal coat of arms, but laser scanning also revealed faint etchings around its edges, each separated by five degrees. It confirms that this is an astrolabe - an instrument used by mariners to measure the height of the sun above the horizon, enabling them to navigate the seas.

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Only around one hundred of these items have been found, and this one most likely dates to the late fifteenth century, making it the earliest known example by several decades.