There have been over the years several posts talking about ramifications of what if Hero of Alexandria had seen that the main idea behind his Aeolipile could be applied to production. Analysis on this forum then tends to either focus on the technical feasibility of Romans actually being able to produce steam engines with the materials they had access too, or on their easy path to total world domination.
I instead want to focus on how this would affect Roman social and economic structures.
Who would own these steam engines? The state? Patritians?
What sectors of the economy would probably be the first to benefit from steam engines? Agriculture? Mining? Transport? Manufacturing?
Would whoever owns the steam engines just try and continue to do whatever the roman economy was doing, but more efficiently, or a class of people emerge that would start using these machines for the mass production of commodities, and therefore seek new markets to for said commodities?
What consequences would steam engines have on slavery? Would steam engines replace slave labour, or at least, reduce the demand for slaves? What social consequences could this have? If demand for slaves is reduced, what would happen to all the former slaves?
I instead want to focus on how this would affect Roman social and economic structures.
Who would own these steam engines? The state? Patritians?
What sectors of the economy would probably be the first to benefit from steam engines? Agriculture? Mining? Transport? Manufacturing?
Would whoever owns the steam engines just try and continue to do whatever the roman economy was doing, but more efficiently, or a class of people emerge that would start using these machines for the mass production of commodities, and therefore seek new markets to for said commodities?
What consequences would steam engines have on slavery? Would steam engines replace slave labour, or at least, reduce the demand for slaves? What social consequences could this have? If demand for slaves is reduced, what would happen to all the former slaves?