Egypt

Sealed honey essentially never spoils. Its water content is low (~17%) and bound to sugar, its pH of 3–4.5 is acidic, and bee enzymes add hydrogen peroxide. Microbes can't survive, so millennia-old honey is found unspoiled in Egyptian tombs.

About 1,700 years before James Watt, the Egyptian mathematician Heron invented the first steam engine, the Aeolipile. A sphere filled with water, when heated, released steam through nozzles, spinning the ball — likely used to open temple doors.