More proof that being the first to invent something is overrated. Execution matters as much as invention.

I think it also proves how much everyone (the most boot-strappiest included) rely on society and circumstance to provide a favorable environment.

Peter Thiel born 10 years earlier or later probably ends up as a nobody. Maybe successful, but certainly not a billionaire.

Also, we really should not forget the post-classical but pre-renaissance technologists of the Arab world. e.g. http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/automata-review-exhibi...

The "hellenocentric" narrative can inadvertently contribute to bias against other very nearby civilizations that communicated with them and contributed to the technologies.

There's an interesting text on parabolas called "On burning mirrors" by Diocles which comes to us only through an Arabic translation:

http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1065183.files/Too...

Tiangong Kaiwu only dates back to 1637, so do you mean it holds references to earlier steam engines? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiangong_Kaiwu

Yes, that's what I understood, that it documented ancient machinery.