{Damnatio Memoriae} is the latin phrase literally meaning “condemnation of memory” in the sense of a judgment that a person must not be remembered. It was a form of dishonor that could be passed by the Roman Senate upon traitors or others who brought discredit to the Roman State. The intent was to erase someone from history, a task somewhat easier in ancient times, when documentation was much sparser.
In an article in Stars and Stripes, it was revealed that Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has decided to strike Confederate Memorial Day and Robert E. Lee’s Birthday from the state calendar. This of course follows in the wake of the recent decision to remove the Confederate Battle Standard from the South Carolina Statehouse. As this “political bandwagon” gains steam, it appears that every weak-minded and spineless politician, regardless if they are from the South or not, are more than eager to jump on and demonize all things Southern and Confederate in an attempt to strike them from American History forever.
Erasing history that certain controlling elements of a nation finds offensive, stubborn, or worse yet, “politically incorrect” is nothing new, in fact, it has been practiced for thousand of years. Xerxes, a Persian ruler from the 5th Century B.C., is said to have threatened the Spartan King Leonidas with “Erasing Sparta from the very histories…” if they did not submit and take their place as yet another proxy Persian slave state. Many early cultures had some form or another of this practice, but of course it was the heavyweight champion of tyranny and political corruption, the Romans, who perfected it. The only reason that we know what little we do today about the Romans misdeeds are the remains of certain records of high-profile Roman citizenry of whom Damnatio Memoriae was decreed.
It is interesting to note that when we look at the description of what specific actions were taken when Damnatio Memoriae was imposed over 1500 years ago on an “unwanted” individual, it eerily fits what is occurring today to America’s Southern and Confederate leaders:
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Striking the Individuals Name from all official Record books
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Seizing all Possessions
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Striking anything with their likeness or picture (statues, murals, paintings)
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Their will nullified and their Grave defaced
Reblogged this on Brittius.
Reblogged this on The Historical Diaries.
Not only should you run this article again, but remind people that the Roman Empire crashed when it was at its peak – wiping people from history did nothing to save them or make them better.
Will Do GP..glad you liked it.
Reblogged this on Hammerhead Combat Systems and commented:
AT GP’s request, I am re-running this.
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Reblogged this on Starvin Larry.
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