Age of Discovery

===Technology: Ship design and the compass===
Technological advancements that were important to the Age of Exploration were the adoption of the [[Compass|magnetic compass]] and advances in ship design.

The compass was an addition to the ancient method of navigation based on sightings of the sun and stars. The compass was invented during the Chinese [[Han dynasty]] and had been used for navigation in China by the 11th century. It was adopted by the Arab traders in the Indian Ocean. The compass spread to Europe by the late 12th or early 13th century.<ref name="Merson_1990">{{cite book|title=The Genius That Was China: East and West in the Making of the Modern World|url=https://archive.org/details/geniusthatwaschi0000mers|url-access=registration|last=Merson |first= John|year= 1990|publisher = The Overlook Press|location=Woodstock, NY |isbn= 978-0-87951-397-9}} A companion to the PBS Series ''The Genius That Was China''.</ref> Use of the compass for navigation in the Indian Ocean was first mentioned in 1232.<ref name="Paine_2013"/>{{rp|351–2}} The first mention of use of the compass in Europe was in 1180.<ref name="Paine_2013"/>{{rp|382}} The Europeans used a "dry" compass, with a needle on a pivot. The compass card was also a European invention.<ref name="Paine_2013"/>

Ships grew in size, required smaller crews and were able to sail longer distances without stopping. This led to significant lower long-distance shipping costs by the 14th century.<ref name="Paine_2013" />{{rp|342}} [[Cog (ship)|Cogs]] remained popular for trade because of their low cost. [[Galley]]s were also used in trade.<ref name="Paine_2013" />