There were no social networks, but also “canceled” people: when they did something considered wrong, they were eliminated from historical records.
Throughout history, people have been deliberately trying to forget corrupt leaders or criminals who offend the sense of morality or justice of the public. the term condemnation of memory (“Memory Condemnation”) describes this kind of deliberate forgetfulness in ancient times.
Condemnation of memory refers to Political “erasure” Deliberate from a person after his political failure and, usually his death, explains the. It is a kind of post-mortem cancellation culture.
Where did this idea come from and what was it like in ancient Rome?
An old idea
The term was probably coined for the first time in the title of a thesis written by two end of the late 17th century Christoph Schreiter and Johann Heinrich Gerlach. But described a much older practice.
In antiquity, the erasure could include the Statue head removal or the suppression of names in inscriptions.
Several emperors – including Nero and Domitian – were subject to the type of deletion practices encapsulated by the term condemnation of memory.
But a particularly good example of condemnation of memory It involves Crispus, the first child of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity).
In 326 AD, Constantino executed Crispus – according to a version of the story – with “Cold Poison”. Constantine is very likely to find that Crispus was having an affair with Constantine’s second wife Fausta. This was especially scandalous because Fausta was Crispus’s stepmother.
Later, Fausta died in a very hot shower. It may have been an attempt at failed abortion or a deliberate, though unusual execution method.
In any case, Crispus was killed and, in the aftermath, was subject to condemnation of memory.
CRISPUS, the canceled
At the time of his death, Crispus was an important political figure. A political agreement had raised him to Caesar’s position (which meant “Junior Emperor” and, no doubt, heir to the throne).
Crispus’s military campaigns had been successful and he had been the subject of public praise. He had held the highest constitutional position – the consulate – no less than three occasions.
This meant that The name of Crispus had been written in stone Throughout the Roman Empire, from official government proclamation to the most worldly landmarks that marked the Roman roads.
The museum’s license plate confirms that Crispus’s name has already appeared there alongside his fellow junior emperors-his saints Constantine II and Constantius II.
In time, it was read in its entirety:
To our four gentlemen, Flávio Constantino, the Great, the eternally victorious senior emperor, and our noblest junior emperors, Flávio Júlio Crispo, Flávio Claudio Constantino and Flávio Júlio Constâncio.
The gap where Flavius Julius Crypus was once written is quite obvious – and that’s really the goal.
This is not a secret elimination of someone’s name, but a public display of its removal.
It served as a powerful reminder of the continuous stigma that should be associated with the name of Crispus to all the Romans who traveled the road in the following years.
At the same time, this elimination directly challenged Crispus’s importance and relevance to historyby removing a record from its existence and, in this particular case, its prominence as Junior Emperor.
Crispus’s half-brother name, Constantine II, was also erased from this milestone, almost certainly after being killed in a civil war against his younger brother, Constantius, in 340.
How it was made A condemnation of memory?
In times, it came to the principle that A condemnation of memory must have been ordained and organized. In recent years, however, scholars have understood the deliberate elimination of names as a much more organic and localized process.
Centuries before Crispus, the inscriptions that referred to Marco António, confidant near Julius Caesar, had also been erased and removed. After Caesar’s death, Marco Antonio had been involved with Caesar’s ex (Cleopatra) and had been spectacularly disagreed with the heir to Caesar (Octavio, who would soon be named Augustus).
Marco António was subject to condemnation of memory After losing the war against Augustus, but not all mentions to his name were erased – many, including some that celebrate Antonio’s sexual prowess, remain.
As prominent women they could also be subject to this type of memory erasure.
Messalina, Claudio’s famous and promiscuous second wife, was the subject of a sennarial decree after her death that sought to erase her name and even ban her mention. However, subscriptions relate to Messaline.
But even if we don’t know exactly how it was done A condemnation of memoryor with what consistency was applied, we know it happened.
In the case of Marco I saw in Brescia, we can only speculate on why the name of Crispus was taken from this in particular. Perhaps it was in a prominent position where you caught your attention too much, or maybe there was a local pressure to remove your name.
In any case, this milestone is the physical proof of something we all do instinctively When a politician fails in controversial, embarrassing or disturbing circumstances: we do our best to forget it.
