Dividers Physical Object


Accession Number
1986.012.0003
Creation Date
circa 1620
Materials
Description
Cast brass. Having two plain tapering arms conjoined by a hinged compass joint. Length 10.2 cm.

Dimensions

10.2 cm L , Item (Overall)

10.2 cm

Exhibition Label
Case Caption (2023): 

The Pilot

Aboard a Spanish ship, the pilot was third in seniority and would have had over sixteen years’ experience. His training included mathematics and celestial navigation. He also had to be familiar with charts of the overall voyage and those of the fleet’s destination in detail. He needed to understand changes in cloud patterns, shifts in ocean currents, and the quality of the ocean floor along different coastlines.

Aboard the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, the pilot, Martin Jiminez, secured his chest carefully. It was still intact when it was discovered by Mel Fisher’s divers almost 400 years later. It held plotting dividers, a small sundial, a cross staff, a jar, gold and silver coins, and gold chains. Most importantly, it held the astrolabe shown here as well as four others. The astrolabe was used to determine latitude. Certainty about the ship’s latitude combined with the pilot’s other knowledge, meant that the ship would reach its destination safely and on time. 
Object Caption (2023):

Dividers
Bronze (c.1620)
Gifts of Jamestown Inc., James A.Snyder
1986.008.0580, 1986.008.0613, 1986.008.0729, 1986.012.0003

Dividers were used to plot distances on a chart.