, ▁United ▁States ▁ ▁G ob bl ers , ▁the ▁General ▁O bl ation ▁Board , ▁a ▁child - ste aling ▁religious ▁group ▁in ▁Philip ▁P ull man ' s ▁novel ▁tr il ogy ▁His ▁Dark ▁Material s . ▁ ▁See ▁also <0x0A> </s> ▁Dam nat io ▁mem oria e ▁is ▁a ▁modern ▁Latin ▁phrase ▁meaning ▁" con dem n ation ▁of ▁memory ", ▁indicating ▁that ▁a ▁person ▁is ▁to ▁be ▁ex cluded ▁from ▁official ▁accounts . ▁There ▁are ▁and ▁have ▁been ▁many ▁routes ▁to ▁dam nat io , ▁including ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁dep ict ions , ▁the ▁removal ▁of ▁names ▁from ▁ins cri ptions ▁and ▁documents , ▁and ▁even ▁large - scale ▁re writ ings ▁of ▁history . ▁The ▁term ▁can ▁be ▁applied ▁to ▁other ▁instances ▁of ▁official ▁scr ub bing ; ▁the ▁practice ▁is ▁seen ▁as ▁long ▁ago ▁as ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁the ▁Egypt ian ▁ph ara oh ▁H ats he ps ut ▁in ▁the ▁four teenth ▁century ▁BC . ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁ ▁In ▁Latin , ▁the ▁term ▁dam nat io ▁mem oria e ▁was ▁not ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁ancient ▁Rom ans . ▁The ▁first ▁appearance ▁of ▁the ▁phrase ▁is ▁in ▁a ▁dis sert ation ▁written ▁in ▁Germany ▁in ▁ 1 6 8 9 . ▁The ▁term ▁is ▁used ▁in ▁modern ▁scholar ship ▁to ▁cover ▁a ▁wide ▁array ▁of ▁official ▁and ▁uno fficial ▁san ctions ▁where by ▁the ▁physical ▁rem n ants ▁of ▁a ▁dece ased ▁individual ▁were ▁destroyed ▁to ▁differ ing ▁degrees . ▁ ▁Pract ice ▁▁ ▁By