tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post7117245747761049459..comments2024-03-28T00:01:43.037-04:00Comments on Grim's Hall: New In Science: Viking Navigation SecretsGrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07543082562999855432noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-27552918905502226992011-11-04T13:00:53.760-04:002011-11-04T13:00:53.760-04:00Yes, and that's also disputed. It unquestionab...Yes, and that's also disputed. It unquestionably works, but some archaeologists insist that the "dial" is actually just a bit of ecclesiastical furniture decoration, and was never used as a compass.<br /><br />To complicate the matter, other historians claim that this sundial device, in a stone version, is actually what the sagas mean by "sunstones."<br /><br />This is what keeps academic historians in business.Lars Walkerhttp://www.brandywinebooks.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-71106401492624558182011-11-04T11:47:34.389-04:002011-11-04T11:47:34.389-04:00The Vikings also used a gadget that looked somethi...The Vikings also used a gadget that looked something like a little sundail mounted on a wooden handle to navigate. It had little pegs on the circumference and was, I suppose a primitive ancester of the sextant.Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-13063688325698324382011-11-04T10:59:12.764-04:002011-11-04T10:59:12.764-04:00Well, the reason the story is in the news is that ...Well, the reason the story is in the news is that the journal article was just released. I think reducing error to 1% is pretty good for a guessed-at reproduction (no one, as you know, has ever found a real one to use as a model). It's possible that the Vikings themselves were able to refine the technology even more.Grimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07543082562999855432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-15630382947163417712011-11-04T09:31:50.479-04:002011-11-04T09:31:50.479-04:00I'm still not entirely sure why this story is ...I'm still not entirely sure why this story is news now. The basic information has been known for years. Somebody tested it again, and again it proves possible. Doesn't move the ball down the field much.Lars Walkerhttp://www.brandywinebooks.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-24175875337095644572011-11-04T08:40:31.733-04:002011-11-04T08:40:31.733-04:00Never confuse technologically primitive with unsop...Never confuse technologically primitive with unsophisticated.MikeDnoreply@blogger.com