What would they do with a steam engine, even if a practical one was built? Mines could usually be kept clear using hand pumps, and there was no coal mining then to make early engines useful. The many wars between Greek kingdoms resulted in thousands of skilled and unskilled laborers being pressed into slavery; a steam engine would also have to compete against that.

This article covers in detail how different the ancient economies were from 1700s Britain: https://acoup.blog/2022/08/26/collections-why-no-roman-indus...

Let’s create greekpunk. Like steampunk but with togas and sandals and temples, in a Mediterranean setting.