All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Damnatio Memoriae

A Roman soldier keeping a lookout over the misty hills of Britannia. (Justinas / Adobe Stock)

The Legacy Of Emperor Magnus Maximus, Despite His Damnatio Memoriae

In Roman times, a decree of Damnatio memoriae was the chief way of obliterating the memory, nearly always posthumous, of those perceived as having transgressed in some way, as was the case of Emperor...
Geta Dying in his Mother's Arms by Jacques Pajou. His death at the hands of Caracalla has been remembered due to the subsequent use of damnatio memoriae to erase him from public memory. Source: Public domain

Caracalla Erased Hated Brother’s Memory Using Damnatio Memoriae

We’ve all had issues with family at one time or other. But the lengths taken by the Roman emperor Caracalla really take the biscuit. To ensure he would never again be reminded of his younger brother...
A portrait of the Severan family, with the face of Geta removed due to the damnatio memoriae ordered by Caracalla

Damnatio memoriae: Purging People from Public Memory

In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is observed annually on the second Sunday of November. This solemn occasion is meant to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and...
Pope Formoso and Stephen VI by Jean-Paul Laurens (1870) (Public Domain)

Synodus Horrenda: The Macabre Trial of the Corpse of Pope Formoso

In AD 897 the holy space of the Basilica of St John of Lateran, Rome , was violated by a truly sinister event inside the dark walls of the house of God. In the august presence of the Emperor Lamberto...
Collage of Egyptian art, design by Anand Balaji.

Amarna in 3 Acts: Defining Vignettes from an Incomparable Era

Three important aspects, in many ways, defined and shaped the Akhetaten years and the post-Amarna period. His detractors in the new disposition erased Pharaoh Akhenaten’s memory in great haste—an...
The Unusual Life and Death of Julia: A Woman Trapped in the Empirical Intrigues of Ancient Rome

The Unusual Life and Death of Julia: A Woman Trapped in the Empirical Intrigues of Ancient Rome

Although they could not officially hold public offices, there were many women who were able to influence the course of Roman history from a position behind the scenes. Julia, the only daughter of...