The main source for the large-scale applications of mechanical energy that were later powered by steam engines was animals, in ancient Rome just as in pre-indus

The main source for the large-scale applications of mechanical energy that were later powered by steam engines was animals, in ancient Rome just as in pre-industrial England. I've heard that argument before, no technological progress because of slavery, but it's widely oversold. Romans had water-powered grain mills, saw mills, and trip hammers, despite slavery. They did have some famous mine-dewatering systems that were human-powered (slaves), keywords: reverse overshot water wheel. Mind-dewatering has been the original use case for the steam engine, so it's quite likely that those installations are the inspiration for the "no technology because of slavery" argument.