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Because no steam engines. No steam engines means lots of labour work in the metal mines. Yield was therefor insufficient to produce large machinery needed to sp

Because no steam engines. No steam engines means lots of labour work in the metal mines. Yield was therefor insufficient to produce large machinery needed to spark the industrial revolution.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
smegger001 3y ago
sort of. they had Aeolipile which is a primitive steam engine but it was looked at as more a curiosity than as a practical tool.
- seiferteric 3y ago
  I was thinking about this, what really started the industrial revolution? I think the aeolipile, like other contraptions was just seen as a toy. Could it be that the Newcomen engine proved that real value and work could be done using machines in this way? Maybe just knowing that it was possible after being demonstrated by the Newcomen engine really kicked it off rather than some nebulous societal conditions.
  - toyg 3y ago
    Newcomen solved a real problem and created a virtuous loop: it helped pump water from coal mines, which made coal cheaper to extract, which helped keep the (quite inefficient) machine running long enough that it could be refined to the point that it could be used elsewhere.
monocasa 3y ago
And particular, the metal working lathe, which wasn't invented until the 1700s. A proper steam engine that actually performs useful work better than just having a dude stand there and move whatever you're trying to move requires very tight tolerances around the cylinders that were previously unobtainable.
wnissen 3y ago
It is still an interesting question. How can a society that created a 52-pipe musical organ in 228 BC fail to create, even by accident, high-leverage machinery like the steam engine? It reminds me of the Egyptians, who knew of the wheel but apparently only used it in toys. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_organ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_organ
- kjeetgill 3y ago
  I'm not sure if we're taking about different time periods, but weren't they at the forefront of chariot warfare during the bronze age? And I vaguely recall that inventing bellows to melt iron took a long time too, so steam machinery seems pretty far off if all you have is bronze and stone.
- wudangmonk 3y ago
  There are reliefs of Ramses II fighting on a chariot and he's from the 1200-1300 BC, so the wheel must have been used much earlier than that by Egyptians.
- ch4s3 3y ago
  The Egyptians had chariots, they definitely used wheels.

Because no steam engines. No steam engines means lots of labour work in the metal mines. Yield was therefor insufficient to produce large machinery needed to spark the industrial revolution.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

smegger001 3y ago

sort of. they had Aeolipile which is a primitive steam engine but it was looked at as more a curiosity than as a practical tool.

seiferteric 3y ago
I was thinking about this, what really started the industrial revolution? I think the aeolipile, like other contraptions was just seen as a toy. Could it be that the Newcomen engine proved that real value and work could be done using machines in this way? Maybe just knowing that it was possible after being demonstrated by the Newcomen engine really kicked it off rather than some nebulous societal conditions.
- toyg 3y ago
  Newcomen solved a real problem and created a virtuous loop: it helped pump water from coal mines, which made coal cheaper to extract, which helped keep the (quite inefficient) machine running long enough that it could be refined to the point that it could be used elsewhere.

monocasa 3y ago

And particular, the metal working lathe, which wasn't invented until the 1700s. A proper steam engine that actually performs useful work better than just having a dude stand there and move whatever you're trying to move requires very tight tolerances around the cylinders that were previously unobtainable.

wnissen 3y ago

It is still an interesting question. How can a society that created a 52-pipe musical organ in 228 BC fail to create, even by accident, high-leverage machinery like the steam engine? It reminds me of the Egyptians, who knew of the wheel but apparently only used it in toys. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_organ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_organ

kjeetgill 3y ago
I'm not sure if we're taking about different time periods, but weren't they at the forefront of chariot warfare during the bronze age? And I vaguely recall that inventing bellows to melt iron took a long time too, so steam machinery seems pretty far off if all you have is bronze and stone.
wudangmonk 3y ago
There are reliefs of Ramses II fighting on a chariot and he's from the 1200-1300 BC, so the wheel must have been used much earlier than that by Egyptians.
ch4s3 3y ago
The Egyptians had chariots, they definitely used wheels.