Trains

Needs way more investment

They'd develop trains

That could save the empire

Same with long distance rapid communication

If they develop trains then the empire would be bigger and more unified

And centralised industrial weapon production

if rome began to industrialize the working class would begin to hold factory jobs while the slaves worked the countryside

Yes

With who's money?

in our timeline the agricultural innovation came first

but for rome

Every wealthy person in Rome had money in plantations or political ambitions

in our situation

Grand urban improvement projects were populist projects to gain political power

would devolp steam first

Cheapening labour is the opposite of populism

urban improvemnt+ jobs

Steam engine takes away jobs short term

That's the point

It's a labour saving device

Means less labour

it would very fast create factory jobs

It'd require basically a long reigning Ceasar to have a weird fascination with steam engines and metallurgy

No it wouldn't

And before it did that it'd unemploy thousands

they could replace slav labor jobs but that would not be profitable

Yes

unless the plebs rallied to remove slavery so they could have farming jobd

That'd be put down

The patricians would never tolerate it

And would tell the plebs that the slaves will take the pleb jobs

Also job shortages weren't a massive problem in Rome till near the end

so it would just hasten the collaspe of rome

holy shit

There's no plausible way for Rome to do it unless a time traveller came from the future and became Ceasar

ik exactly what caused Rome to fal

And just pushed industrialisation for 20 years

Heron of Alexandria

the steam engine came into be

if that rich dude put the engine on a wheel