When the same is asked of the Romans a common reply is that they had a mass of slave labour and that removes some of the incentives for automation. But the Egyp

When the same is asked of the Romans a common reply is that they had a mass of slave labour and that removes some of the incentives for automation. But the Egyptians didn't even have much knowledge of making iron until very late - contemporary with ancient Greece or Rome. This is a question I find fascinating too.