Damnatio memoriae

ancient Roman punishment by removing a person's name, depictions, and reference to them from official records, up to rewritings of histories

Damnatio memoriae is a Latin practice or phrase that means "condemnation of memory". It means that a person's existence should be cut out of history. In practice it meant removing the name from official records and monuments. However, because information about the person was usually also found in other places, like letters and scrolls, historians today can usually still learn about the person.

The face at the bottom left was erased because of damnatio memoriae.