Note sulla dignitas

In the Roman lexicon the word dignitas has different and complex meanings, also according to the peculiar contexts. The word has been examined mainly in studies on the Roman society and on its social, political and institutional structures, but something appears undervalued: the central importance that often wealth and economic considerations have in the use of the word dignitas. The wealth is the basis of dignitas and dignitas cannot prescind from wealth. The ideology of the Roman élites tries to hide this close relationship, putting particular emphasis on individual merit and worth; but when one focuses on the concrete social and institutional relations, the wealth (with the family origin) is the basis of dignitas. Many sources leave no doubt about this conclusion, including Cicero, also in regard to the different approachs of his long life and various interests.