日常英語(yǔ) 沉船中發(fā)現(xiàn)世上最早航海星盤(pán)

一個(gè)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(dǎo)航的工具。海洋考古學(xué)家說(shuō)這個(gè)物體是一個(gè)“星盤(pán)”，海員在航行中用它測(cè)量太陽(yáng)的高度，以確定所在位置。這個(gè)星盤(pán)是在1503年在印度洋暴風(fēng)雪期間沉沒(méi)的一艘葡萄牙船艦中找到的。

?

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.

?

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.

?

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.