Heron of Alexandria, who lived in Egypt, have you heard of this? He invented, for a second: vending machines for holy water, automatic doors for churches, a distance meter, a fire pump, fountains, and... a steam engine.

The device was a cauldron of water, a fire was lit under it, the water boiled and the escaping steam spun the device. Modern replicas, made according to Heron's drawings, spin up to a rotation speed of 3500 rpm. The level of technology and scientific thought was such that official science was able to re-reach the steam engine only in the 19th century.