30 Days to a More Powerful Memory

Chapter 22. It’s All About Location

One of the oldest memory aids is the method of “loci,” or locations—sometimes called the “journey technique.” According to memory experts, this technique dates back at least to the Greek orators, who used this approach to remember their compelling speeches. Supposedly, Simonides of Ceos, born in the 6th century B.C., was the first to develop memory training, and he created the “loci technique” of mentally placing bits of information at different locations so the orators would find it easier to remember them.^[1] These orators may have also called on the help of the Greek goddess of memory, Mnemosyne, the source of the word mnemonic.^[2] The Romans further adapted this system into the Roman Room system.

But the ...