In the Roman world, reputation and character were powerful concepts. A person can be elevated to the level of infamy through their reputation alone. Some have attempted to cultivate their image to suit their purposes, while others have had theirs ruined by their detractors. After a plot was discovered, alleged participants could be punished with damnatio memoriae, considered unworthy of commemoration. However, due to the practical difficulties of this and the importance of remembering conspiracies, it was more likely that a conspirator would have his reputation slandered and all posthumous honors withdrawn. Thus, their names would remain in the archives, but they would serve as examples to any other potential conspirators. The stories of Catiline, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, and Messalina have all been preserved, but they have acquired an ignominious reputation among their contemporaries as well as historians. It is debatable whether the Catiline Conspiracy was actually plotted, but it is certain that Catiline was treated as guilty by many of his contemporaries and by later historical sources. It does not appear that there was an attempt to erase Catiline from memory; instead, his story is told in detail by Cicero and Sallust. Sallust described Catiline as possessing good qualities that caused others to follow him, such as physical strength and eloquence, but that he was ultimately depraved (Sallust 5). For Sallust, Catiline represented the moral decadence that affected Rome; he was able to surround himself with criminals and reprobate because Rome was already corrupt (Sallust 6, 14). He accused him of corrupting the youth and reported the belief that he had murdered his stepson (Salluste...... middle of paper...... Those powerful enough to avoid or reject any accusation could still be criticized posthumously by historians The Maiestas trials showed the power of reputations: from these and the accusation of an informer, a person could lose their life The concept of damnatio memoriae effectively poses. a problem for the historian, but it would be difficult to discover if, instead, damnatio memoriae were applied more to strip honors and ruin the reputation of a conspirator, as this essay posits. be difficult to determine the person's true character and the actual events that led up to it. However, with the evidence and analytical tools available, it is clear that a person's reputation, character and legacy. were of great importance to the Romans and influenced the history of this period..