Why did the Romans want fame?

Answer 1

Romans loved power there is no question about that however to the contrary , fame was

not a Roman virtue. There was no place for it , for fame led to rebellion and the Romans would not allow it. Would be Alexander's were dealt with sooner or later and generally did not enjoy old age. In the Roman world , you fought for Rome and not for yourself.

Julius Caeser is a perfect example as is Scipio Africanus. All know how Caeser meet is end for his bid for power but fewer know that Scipio fell out of favor with the Senators who feared that after Zama ,Scipio might make a dash for a permanent Dictatorship. The truth was that Scipio was one doing nothing of the sort but , it could not be risked and his career was in the end a fraction of what it could have been.

This is obvious in the culture as any school kid knows of Hannibal. But how many can name an

Emperor of Rome with the exeption of say , Augustus , Nero or Trajan , not many. It has been noted many times by historians that Kirk Douglas played Spartacus in a movie about him. The only time someone of power in ancient Rome , it's Caeser 9 times out of 10. Not to mention the thousands of Consuls who have lost their importance in history. The reason is that the Romans tried their best to see to it that no man got to powerful. The only Emperor to have the entire aligance of the Praetorean Guard was Augustus as every other Emperor had to pay a sum (donitivum) to them for their undying devotion. The point once again is that absolute power didn't exist in Rome and if you had it was only at the will of someone else

Fame was not a Virtue in Rome , this is a fact not an opinion. The Romans loved Alexander and there was not a general or Emperor who didn't want to emulate him , yet still with as powerful as Rome would become , no single man would ever come remotely close to Alexanders legacy. Rome was about cohesion not individuality , discipline not ego.