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==Later Changes==
[[File:1200px-Simple_Wooden_Kamal_(Navigation).jpg|thumbnail|250px|A simple wood kamal with with equally spaced knots.]]
The invention of the magnetic compass, invented or first utilized by the Han Chinese (206 BC-220 AD), proved to eventually be revolutionary, as it allowed boats to operate much more easily even in overcast skies as it did not depend on navigating using stars. However, this invention does not seem to have spread across from China until the early 2nd millennium AD during the Song dynasty (970-1279).<ref>For information about the history of the magnetic compass, see: Gurney, Alan. 2004. ''Compass: A Story of Exploration and Innovation''. New York: Norton.</ref>
