05-01-2018, 07:18 AM
Or a compass / sundial - note the 24 divisions surrounding the ring. The position of the dividers into groups of three, and the fact there are 24 of them, leads me to think its a navigational device rather than a horological one. Also, the sundial doesn't evenly distribute its points around the circle.
The compass bugbear is that it was the Chinese who divided their compass roses into 24 divisions - early Europeans used a 16 point rose, which jumped to 32 as the technology improved.
The three points would suggest a dual use of timekeeping and compass, as in this 15th century Russian example (note the position of the hours):
![[Image: b6bddd88db13e0887c4cb7f02b0abe3a.jpg]](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b6/bd/dd/b6bddd88db13e0887c4cb7f02b0abe3a.jpg)
The compass bugbear is that it was the Chinese who divided their compass roses into 24 divisions - early Europeans used a 16 point rose, which jumped to 32 as the technology improved.
The three points would suggest a dual use of timekeeping and compass, as in this 15th century Russian example (note the position of the hours):