2024/09/01 by Piotr Bojakowski · 1 voice
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Historical Economic and Social Studies
paper · doi:10.1017/s0373463325000062
openalex publication_date 2024/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract Among the artefacts recovered from Warwick , an English ship wrecked in Bermuda at the end of November 1619, was a small wooden navigational device. Discovered during the 2010 archaeological field season, the object was cleaned, analysed, and later conserved. It has been identified as an analogue navigational tool known as a plain scale. A novel instrument at the time, the device showed real-world applications of complex mathematical formulas for charting a course on a map. Its presence on Warwick is striking; it is believed to be the earliest known example of a plain scale in use on board an English ship sailing to the colonies. The goal of this paper is to present the artefact, provide its historical and archaeological background, and discuss the current body of research related to its purpose in resolving navigational problems.