Was did people use before the invention of compass?

The used the stars in the night sky for navigation in darkness (using the north stars altitude to work out latitude) , the sun during the day. The first Western civilization known to have developed the art of navigation at sea were the Phoenicians, about 4,000 years ago (c. 2000 BC). Phoenician sailors accomplished navigation by using primitive charts and observations of the Sun and stars to determine directions. Some of the early instruments used to assist sailors in determining latitude were the cross staff, astrolabe, and quadrant. The astrolabe dates back to ancient Greece, when it was used by astronomers to help tell time, and was first used by mariners in the fifteenth century. It was used to measure the altitude of the Sun and stars to determine latitude.