Who invented mnemonic

Castor and Pollux, traditionally imaged as two young men, had indeed paid their half of the fee. Tales of this sort were commonplace in Greek literature, but this one has an unexpected moral. When the rubble was cleared away, the victims were found to be so mangled that their own families could not identify them. Simonides, however, remembered the places they had been sitting and so was able to identify the dead.

Such was the discovery of the method of loci or locations. It became so much a part of the study of rhetoric that the most venerable of the Roman orators used the method of loci for memorizing their speeches. Their procedure was as follows: First, a series of locations loci , such as those in a public building, were memorised. Second, some object was thought of to represent each important part of the oration, such as a spear to represent the tenth topic, war.

Third, the image created for each topic was combined with the image of its corresponding location. The spear might be imaged as penetrating the tenth locus, a door. After a few days, the images from the speech would fade from memory, but the more highly learned loci could be used to memorise a new speech.

Imagery seems to have first attracted learned attention when its powerful mnemonic properties were discovered by the Greek poet and sophos wise man Simonides c. According to a legend passed on by Cicero B. Simonides was called outside shortly after his performance, and during his absence the roof of the banqueting hall suddenly collapsed, crushing the other diners, and mangling many of their corpses beyond recognition. Simonides, however, found he was able to identify the bodies important for proper burial by consulting his visual memory image of the people sitting around the banqueting table, which enabled him to identify the corpses according to where they were found.

From this experience,. Try to reduce memory overload. Additionally, getting adequate sleep restores and recharges your brain so that you feel alert throughout the day. During the day, you also want to give your brain breaks, taking time to relax and unwind. Restak recommends that you do not force memorization. Distract yourself and let your brain operate at its own pace. Many famous inventors have reported getting their biggest breakthroughs while showering, taking walks, or even dreaming.

Because mnemonic devices ease the strain that the task of memorization places on your brain, it too can be viewed as a form of rest for your brain. Restak explains the history of mnemonics and provides specific techniques.

To reduce memory overload, you can use notes to keep track of small bits of information while freeing your mind to remember bigger items. Maintaining Brain Health Aside from mnemonic techniques, you want to keep your brain healthy and fully functioning so that it can perform at its full capacity. Professor Restak also maintains an active private practice in neurology and neuropsychiatry in Washington, D. About Kate Findley Articles.

Kate is a writer, novelist, and blogger living in Los Angeles. She has been writing for The Great Courses since It incorporates her two favorite things: writing and learning. All rights reserved.