Lack of technological progress in late Roman Empire

[conon394]

But I still believe the Empire did hinder technological progress due to the Romans' general attitude towards innovations. Specifically, they were just very traditionalist and conservative in their set ways - "this is how we do it and have always done it" kind of mentality.

But where is the proof. Look at glass blowing in particular (and glass production in general) for example.

So glass blowing was invented in the first century BC somewhere in the Palestine/Syria region, maybe Sidon since it are mentioned as being early specialists in blown glass by Pliny. So far so good, by your dictum - "this is how we do it and have always done it" the Roman should be slow at best to adopt the new technology and its possibilities But in fact the very opposite occurred.

Glassblowing was rapidly accepted in Italy, and over the course of the first century AD several key advances in glass blowing(better kilns, iron tubes for blowing, etc) and the realization you could completely re-melt and recycle glass appear to have been pioneered in Italy not the East. Glass because ubiquitous thoughtout the Empire: glass tableware was quick to supplant metal in the same roll; while other new glass items were invented like windows and glass lamps etc. Interesting Pliny notes one version of the Tiberius story, and suggests Tiberius was motivated by a fear glass will supplant gold and silver (36.66). The important thing missed by those who cite the story as has an example of negative Roman or Classical attitudes toward technology (aside from the fact Pliny dismisses the story as being widely reported, but lacking any real authority) is that Pliny observes in the next section, that in his day glass has in fact quite superseded silver and gold tableware. The Emperor might have dislike new things but apparently not Roman consumers…

Now granted some of those things like windows were often cast, but the ideal of glazed windows was Roman, widely adopted and part of a rapid overall adoption of glass and it widespread use across the Empire.