> Rome was still primarily a slave/servant based economy, and one based on expansion and conquest. They lacked the mathematical and scientific foundations to ra

> Rome was still primarily a slave/servant based economy, and one based on expansion and conquest. They lacked the mathematical and scientific foundations to radically change metallurgy, chemistry, and the other basics of industry. The book the article is inspired by[0] is an alternate history set during the reign of Augustus. It takes as its point of departure the capture of Archimedes of Syracuse -- instead of being killed, he is brought back to Rome. Note that this is the mid-Republic period, before the dynamics of conquest and slavery completely dominated the Roman economy. The book is written by Helen Dale, who set out to write a legal alt-history, not an economics alt-history per se. She's got the background for it: she's an award-winning novelist, studied classics at Oxford and Roman law at Edinburgh. My gut feeling is that any objection you have, she's thought about already. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Wicked-Book-One-Rules/dp/0994384092 https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Wicked-Book-One-Rules/dp/0994...