Cornelio Dolabella e un 'testamentum mulieris' in una lettera di Cicerone ad Attico

The paper examines a letter of Cicero (ad Att. 7.8.3), written at the end of 50 B.C. In this letter, the orator mentions the designation of heir of Publius Cornelius Dolabella, Tullia’s husband, in the will of a certain Livia, with the obligation to change his own nomen. The episode is interpreted in light of late Republican testamentary practices, with particular attention to the condicio nominis ferendi and the problematic notion of adoptio ex testamento. The study addresses complex onomastic questions, such as the identification of the testatrix and the possible adoption of Dolabella into the gens of the Cornelii Lentuli. The author especially highlights the sensitive political implications that Dolabella’s decision to change his name could entail.