Khan Academy: Damnatio Memoriae Roman Sanctions Against Memory

Damnatio memoriae is a term we use to describe a Roman phenomenon in which the government condemned the memory of a person who was seen as a tyrant, traitor, or another sort of enemy to the state. The images of such condemned figures would be destroyed, their names erased from inscriptions. View examples of preserved artwork and read about the emperors who were supposed to be "erased".