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serve them in every way, as a son would a father. These incentives inspire not only those present in the ranks but also those back home to strive to outdo each other on the battlefield.” (Polybius 377) This passage indicates the social reward such as fame and glory, as well as the tangible rewards such as weaponry and wealth that awaited soldiers that were successful. Men like Cato the Elder were able to use this fame and success from the military to become politicians and hold great sway over the Roman Empire.

The incorporation of new cultures, specifically Greek culture, into the Roman Empire is yet another way that Roman expansion falls into a grey area. On one hand Roman culture willingly took much from the Greeks such as the model for their gods and theater. On the other, there was a significant push back against this merger as many element of Roman culture and ideals did not mesh well with the Greek culture and other places that now fell under Roman rule. One example of this pushback was towards the religious cults that were coming to Rome, specifically that of the Dionysus cult, to which the senate responded by implementation legal restrictions on these groups. Cato the Elder was one of the most outspoken in the opposition of Greek culture. Cato very much idealized the idea of traditional Roman values, and the image of the Roman farmer soldier. This is displayed in the writing of Plutarch who writes, “Here he was, the greatest Roman of his time, who had subdued the most belligerent tribes, and driven Pyrrhus out of Italy. Yet, he tilled this tiny plot of land himself and lived in this simple cottage – even after his three