Earliest records show a spoon shaped compass made of lodestone or magnetite ore, referred to as a "South-pointer" dating back to sometime during the Han Dynasty (2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE).

The earliest known compasses were made in China’s Han Dynasty, between 300 and 200 BCE ... and movement of the molten metal at its core. A compass contains a tiny piece of magnetized material ...

This led to the first compass, called a sinan (south-pointing ladle) during the Warring States Period. In the Han Dynasty compasses consisted of a bronze on which 24 directions were carved and a ...