[fuzzfactor]

>each one was recycled to produce the next.

This could lend itself to the idea that one person made it, and if nothing whatsoever like it had ever come before you have to figure it took an awfully long time for one person to create something this complicated single-handedly.

Could be a number of years between iterations in a continuous improvement process that adds up to something like a life's work.

Maybe also could be passed down to a subsequent individual like a very specialized craft, and build technology across generations.