From: SolomonW@citi.com   
      
   On Tue, 16 Oct 2018 07:51:03 +0100, Martin Edwards wrote:   
      
   > On 10/15/2018 3:46 PM, reader wrote:   
   >>> In all honestly, as far as I can tell the only thing   
   >>> stopping the Industrial Revolution from happen in ancient   
   >>> Roman times, instead of the 18th century, was the Roman   
   >>> elite.   
   >>   
   >> Simple, all of the prerequisite technology elements of the industrial   
   >> revolution were not in place.   
   >>   
   >> China was the leader in technology until about the 17th century.  If it   
   >> were to have happened anywhere else it would b china.   
   >>   
   >> A 1st century roman in egypt described a rudimentary steam engine, which we   
   >> associate with the industrial revolution as a primary energy conversion   
   >> prerequisite.   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>   
   > In the fifteenth century the Chinese had ocean going ships, they might   
   > have discovered Europe rather than the other way round.  Unfortunately   
   > the caravan companies lobbied the government and ships above a certain   
   > size were banned.   
      
   These ships were not trading ships, they were very expensive and so were   
   stopped for that reason.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)