I mean, on a scale similar to that of the Roman Empire? One ran from Athens itself, that is, rather than an Empire that just happens to include Athens.
So...yes...if they manage to find a military/political leader as successful as Alexander the Great....and somehow replicate the military reforms of the Macedonian Phalanx (much easier to train/equip) and the Companion Calvary...
Of course...this could be said of any Greek state...Macedon wasnt exactly the richest/most civilized area of Greece at the time...
the main obstacle to that is the fact that the athenian (and most greek cities) were based upon a concept of citizenship far more restrictive than anything that existed in Rome. Thus they could not include as many new citizens in their state and increase their manpower base, leading to their power resting on unequal federations where the "allied" cities felt cheated and where individual citizens felt frustrated from any possibility to go up the social scale by becoming athenian, except for a very few among them who might get adopted into the Athenian citizenship by the athenian assembly...
The Romans had a practice in their early years of "citizenship without being able to vote in Rome..." - could the Athenians have developed some sort of half-way house towards full assimilation? Or perhaps the Roman pratice of removing the population of a conquered city and resettling them as new citizens on territory already controlled by Rome? (Just looking on line, seems the Aventine Hill may have been settled by displaced conquered peoples in that fashion).
Bruce
the main obstacle to that is the fact that the athenian (and most greek cities) were based upon a concept of citizenship far more restrictive than anything that existed in Rome. Thus they could not include as many new citizens in their state and increase their manpower base, leading to their power resting on unequal federations where the "allied" cities felt cheated and where individual citizens felt frustrated from any possibility to go up the social scale by becoming athenian, except for a very few among them who might get adopted into the Athenian citizenship by the athenian assembly...
On the other hand, the Greeks were aware of the idea of a federal league. It was in its infancy, but it did develop. Could that go somewhere?