As a Romanophile, I can't help pointing out that I feel Rome would have been a very good candidate for early industrialization. They had a large middle class and a high opinion of technology in general, and were already responsible for a great deal of developement in mills. As for natural resources, their empire contained England, France, half of Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey, all of which contain a wealth of one or more of the nessessary resources. I believe that they were also aware of steampower, though they never put it to practicall use, and their government was so military heavy that, under the right leadership, military resources alone coud spur the advancement, if only to produce metal tools and armors en masse.