The first compasses were spoon-shaped and made from lodestone. These spoon-shaped lodestones were placed on heaven plates which were made out of bronze with eight trigrams etched in. They also often had a Great Bear drawn within the center disc.
How does the compass and the ancient compass differ?
The ancient compass would point to the earth's magnetic poles. The magnetic poles are not the same as earth's geographic poles. Which means earth's geographic North pole is actually the South magnetic pole. This was refined and now the compases today point to geographic North.
When the Ancient Chinese first discovered the lodestone and created these first compasses they believed they had spiritual power. The compass was originally used for worship, fortune-telling, and geomancy-the art of aligning buildings. When it was later found that the spoon would point in the same direction no matter which way it was turned, they transitioned into using them as directional instruments.
As the compass was recognized to identify the direction of the magnetic South Pole and the geographic North, it became a revolutionary tool for exploration. Those travelling by land and sea were able to travel further distances with greater accuracy. Read correctly, the compass enabled sailors to travel direct routes, providing an invaluable tool when weather conditions inhibited the use of familiar directional tools such as stars and landmarks.
As it evolved to be more accurate over time through better accounting for magnetic interference, the compass continued to be an important navigational tool. It's mere concept and existence led to eventual development of more sophisticated navigational systems, such as present-day GPS (global positioning system). However, the simple, modern-day compass, which is not reliant upon wifi or electricity still serves a purpose to hikers, campers and travelers while in remote areas.