The Orris: A Cultural Journal   The practice and study of
mnemonics, or “the art of memory,” has a history that is two and
half millennia old. Simonides of Ceos first developed this
memory technique as a reaction against the growing popularity of
writing [1]. Since ancient Greece, a number of other
technologies have been created that seem to fully externalize
our memory systems, making our brains less capable of
independently recalling information; however, the art of memory
continues to thrive in all sorts of cultural spaces such as the
educational system, the self-help industry, and the memory
championships.  Also, the art of memory has become, in many
respects, the science of memory, studied by neurologists and
psychologists. In this essay, I explore the development of the
art of memory from its ancient roots to its contemporary uses
and interrogate if we have, as many people say, forgotten how to
remember without technological aid.         The story of
Simonides is steeped in lore. He was a famous lyrical