Nevertheless, the Antikythera Mechanism suggests both the sophistication of Greek science and technology and that generations of potential technical and material progress were forfeited through lack of institutions to carry them forward from one generation to the next.
The university, a creation of the Renaissance, made the preservation, development, and dissemination of knowledge an institutional imperative. Just as important, in the 18th Century, businessmen and investors became willing to fund the development of technology for the sake of profit through sales of new mechanical devices.
Taking a broader view of the matter, due to the limitations of ancient societies, the Antikythera Mechanism was an isolated bit of genius with no progeny and no business case. It took the creation of universities and modern capitalism to make the technological revolution of the modern world.