The Word
Dignitas is one of those Roman words that cannot be translated by a single English equivalent. It includes rank, honour, standing, public worth, reputation, achievement, and the recognition owed to a man by his peers.
Why It Matters
Caesar’s conflict with the Senate was not merely a dispute about office. It was also a dispute about whether his dignitas would be acknowledged or deliberately humiliated. A Roman aristocrat could endure opposition; he could not easily endure the destruction of his standing without reply.
For Livarva
This is why the Rubicon cannot be reduced to naked ambition. Ambition was certainly present, but ambition moved within a culture where honour, legality, command, and public recognition were bound together.