Medieval discs found in Ukraine could be Viking sun compasses

Medieval artifacts, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, may have served as tools, ritual objects, or even advanced navigational instruments.

A pyrophilitea stone with tones ranging from light pink to purple, has been extensively documented in the Ovruch region of Ukraine. Its malleability made it ideal for creating various objects, including sharpening stones, molds, icons and the like. discos in question which, decorated with concentric rings and radial lines, raised doubts about its original function.

After several measurements and surface analysis, archaeologists identified eight discs similar ones at important archaeological sites such as Kiev, Listven and Liubech.

They date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, a period marked by intense cultural exchanges between the inhabitants of Rus and Scandinavian traders, who frequented the river route “Varangian to the Greeks”.

There are several theories about their purpose: some experts consider them to be calendars, based on the radial divisions that could represent the months of the year, while others suggest that they may have been needle sharpeners, polishing stones or even parts of manual drills. used in jewelry making.

However, a more recent approach proposes that at least some of these disks may have been solar compassesinstruments used by Viking navigators to orient themselves during their travels.

According to , the hypothesis is based on the similarity between pyrophyllite discs and other objects identified as compasses in regions such as Greenland and the Baltic Sea.

Viking sun compasses combined a gnomon (a stick that casts a shadow) and a dial with specific markings, which allowed navigators to determine direction and latitude based on the position of the sun.

Still, despite the similarities, pyrophyllite disks lack certain features typical of solar compasses, such as the permanent gnomonic lines that indicate equinoxes and solstices.

This absence led researchers to consider the possibility that these marks had been temporarily applied with chalk or charcoal.