I think one of the largest examples of water-based mechanical engineering from around that time is at Barbegal [0], the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the ancient world and The capacity of the mills has been estimated at 4.5 tons of flour per day, enough to supply bread for as many as 10,000 of perhaps 30–40,000 inhabitants of Arelate at that time. Spain mines also had very interesting (albeit slave-powered) solutions, with up to 16 wheels draining a mine over 30 vertical meters[1] (and possibly more in other sites), one of which was discovered "intact"! [2, 3] Pre-industrial era engineering in general can be very fascinating.
They didn’t have the metallurgy to make a reliable steam engine. However I think they could’ve industrialized a lot of things using a bronze turbine or waterwheel and a ton of belt systems like old factories once did with line shafts.[1]
for the first time, all essential components of the much later steam engine were assembled by one technological culture
Though comments here indicate they lacked sufficient metallurgy.
It makes me think of the wolf riders books. A series about "elves" that are basically descendants from a crashed alien ship and there are two groups of them, forming a mini civilization.
Humans seem endlessly fascinated with the question of what is the minimum viable product to make civilization as we know it? or something along those lines. That seems to be a basic impetus behind a lot of dystopian/post-disaster stories. It seems to be a means to strip away a lot of current social stuff and imagine a world with fewer people where someone -- or a few people -- with the right knowledge can create a more civilized microcosm by keeping some of our achievements while largely eliminating the hell is other people parts.
On the flip side is Kyle in Terminator saying "I didn't build the fucking thing!" in exasperation, a scene with seemingly broad appeal, like it hits a nerve for a lot of people.
And maybe we should be wondering in more practical, real world terms about the technological MVP for civilization. Like if you were a bit of a luddite, how would you arrange a comfortable existence where you could understand a lot of the essential tech required to sustain the lifestyle to which you've become accustomed.
I think one of the largest examples of water-based mechanical engineering from around that time is at Barbegal [0], the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the ancient world and The capacity of the mills has been estimated at 4.5 tons of flour per day, enough to supply bread for as many as 10,000 of perhaps 30–40,000 inhabitants of Arelate at that time. Spain mines also had very interesting (albeit slave-powered) solutions, with up to 16 wheels draining a mine over 30 vertical meters[1] (and possibly more in other sites), one of which was discovered "intact"! [2, 3] Pre-industrial era engineering in general can be very fascinating.
0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbegal_aqueduct_and_mills
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_overshot_water_wheel#E...
2. https://www.naturalhistorymag.com/sites/default/files/media/...
3. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1889-0622-...
The carving is photographed here: https://static.cambridge.org/content/id/urn%3Acambridge.org%...
Via https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047759400005341
They didn’t have the metallurgy to make a reliable steam engine. However I think they could’ve industrialized a lot of things using a bronze turbine or waterwheel and a ton of belt systems like old factories once did with line shafts.[1]
[1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_shaft
for the first time, all essential components of the much later steam engine were assembled by one technological culture
Though comments here indicate they lacked sufficient metallurgy.
It makes me think of the wolf riders books. A series about "elves" that are basically descendants from a crashed alien ship and there are two groups of them, forming a mini civilization.
Humans seem endlessly fascinated with the question of what is the minimum viable product to make civilization as we know it? or something along those lines. That seems to be a basic impetus behind a lot of dystopian/post-disaster stories. It seems to be a means to strip away a lot of current social stuff and imagine a world with fewer people where someone -- or a few people -- with the right knowledge can create a more civilized microcosm by keeping some of our achievements while largely eliminating the hell is other people parts.
On the flip side is Kyle in Terminator saying "I didn't build the fucking thing!" in exasperation, a scene with seemingly broad appeal, like it hits a nerve for a lot of people.
And maybe we should be wondering in more practical, real world terms about the technological MVP for civilization. Like if you were a bit of a luddite, how would you arrange a comfortable existence where you could understand a lot of the essential tech required to sustain the lifestyle to which you've become accustomed.
Relevant HN discussion on why Romans didn’t achieve Industrial Revolution: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32607187 Spoiler: it wasn’t because slaves were cheap.
Any time a human arm is used to turn a crank, you have a crank mechanism in reverse: reciprocating rod translating to rotation.