What if Greek natural philosophy had gone differently?

Athens turns systematic argument onto nature, ethics and politics, Plato, then Aristotle.

If it had gone differently: Reasoned enquiry into how the world works never takes hold; there is no classical canon for medieval scholars to recover.

1. -27The Roman Empire, The Mediterranean is never unified under one law, road network and language; Europe has no shared classical spine.
2. 800The House of Wisdom, Greek mathematics, medicine and astronomy are never translated and preserved; much of it is simply lost.
3. 1400The Italian Renaissance, Europe never rediscovers the classical world on its own terms; the break with the medieval mind comes later and shallower.
4. 1600The Scientific Revolution, Natural philosophy stays deferential to the ancients; no method, no acceleration.