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An unequivocal link between war scars and the outstanding uirtus of Roman soldiers has long been accepted, suggesting that aristocrats invariably derived honour and prestige from such bodily marks. Nevertheless, the process of social valorization of martial scars remains largely obscure, especially since historical anthropology has emphasized the ambiguous values of these wounds. This article therefore offers a fresh look on the norms and representations relating to war scars and aims to identify aristocratic strategies concerning them. The article begins by reviewing the meaning of the term cicatrices honestae and uses an interactionist approach to place wounds in their context of ostentation. The scars appear to arouse simple civic esteem and more often generate pity than admiration. Their delicate use in the context of aristocratic ethos therefore needs to be reconsidered, particularly from the first century BC onwards.