How in ancient times did people determine the cardinal points?

Previously, there were no gadgets and phones with GPS, so they orient by the stars.

For a reference point, they usually take the polar star. Other stars like to move across the sky, and this one is more stable in its place. It shines better and brighter than other stars in the constellation Ursa Minor. You need to look at the extreme star in the handle of the bucket or the little bear: now you have found the polar star. And this bright star is always pointing north. Knowing where north is not difficult to figure out the other sides.