I wonder to what extent any of these ancient industrial revolutions would have been similar to the modern one. Mass produced crucible steel certainly would hav

I wonder to what extent any of these ancient industrial revolutions would have been similar to the modern one. Mass produced crucible steel certainly would have given Rome even more military and trade might, but it's hard to see what else it leads to. Same for the flying shuttle or steam engine. Water wheels and such were used by Romans. Romans liked useful engineering. But, I don't think they were a keystone technology. Rome could have still been Rome without water wheels, perhaps. What would they have powered with engines, and how much of it? Would they have learned to to mine coal? The flying shuttle is even more interesting to me, because it's more independant. Like steel, textile is a trade good. Automated weaving probably would have become widespread in rome, and changed the economy. I agree with you though. There are multiple routes to industrialisation. Metallurgical techniques could have been invented much earlier. Historical happenstance. Some important metallurgical techniques may have been invented, kept secret, and eventually forgotten. There are lots of curious, ancient steel artifacts in museums and even more in lore. Metallurgy may have been retarded by millenia, because secrecy.