This article investigates the physical parameters of Athenian democracy. It explores the collective-action problems that these parameters caused and settles debates about them that R. G. Osborne famously provoked. Classical Athens was ten times larger than an average Greek state. Fourth-century Athenians were ten times more numerous. These parameters significantly contributed to the success of Athenian democracy. Athens could field more combatants than almost every other Greek state. With such huge manpower reserves individual Athenians had to fight only every few years. Nevertheless, this huge population also caused collective-action problems. Attica's farmers could not grow enough to feed them. The Athenians never had adequate personnel nor recordkeeping centrally to administer so many citizens over such a large territory. Yet they found effective means at home and abroad to overcome these collective-action problems.

中文翻译：

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雅典民主的物理参数

本文研究了雅典民主的物理参数。它探讨了这些参数引起的集体行动问题，并解决了 RG Osborne 著名的引发的关于它们的辩论。古典雅典比一般的希腊国家大十倍。4 世纪的雅典人数量增加了十倍。这些参数极大地促进了雅典民主的成功。雅典可以派出比几乎所有其他希腊国家更多的战斗人员。拥有如此庞大的人力储备，每个雅典人只需要每隔几年就打一次仗。然而，如此庞大的人口也引起了集体行动问题。阿提卡的农民无法种植足够的食物来养活他们。雅典人从来没有足够的人员或中央记录来管理如此广大的领土上的如此多的公民。