Lack of technological progress in late Roman Empire

[Tarbicus]

Why couldn't they have physically adapted this technology to revolutionize naval propulsion ? Because there weren't enough people around to come up with the idea ?

I too am a believer of the dictum that says it takes quantity to get quality, but it seems to me that Rome had enough of the former. Just look at this steam engine. You have to admit they missed the boat on that one Shocked Where am I going wrong with this example ?

I think their engineering at the time still had limits, especially with metallurgy. Just look at the components required to make a ship's engine, and their sizes and precision engineering that was necessary.

Another thing that wasn't widely and very cheaply available - pencil and paper. All of those calculations, measurements, plans, etc, need to be written and drawn somehow. It's one thing for an 18th C. genius to have a eureka moment and get to designing his wonder machine on paper in the middle of the night, but an entirely different one for a Roman to have been able to do so.

Also, an invention is often inspired by hearing about a theory somewhere, or someone else trying to do such and such. The successful inventor often overcomes the technical problems. News travelled comparatively very slowly in ancient times.