Four thousand of us fought three million.
When you visit Sparta, tell them:
Here, the soldiers kept their word.
Simonides of Ceos In an Epithet at Thermopylae
Once there lived a poet in ancient Greece, named Simonides of Ceos. He made his living by composing epic poems about wealthy patrons, noblemen, and Olympic victors.
He was called upon by one such nobleman, Socpus of Thessaly, to compose and recite a poem proclaiming Scopus’ greatness, at a banquet in Scopus’ own honor. Simonedes did as he was asked, but Scopus was not a fan, as half the poem was spent praising the gods rather than Scopus.
Scopus told Simonides he would only pay him half of the promised amount, and told him that the gods could pay the other half.
Simonides returned to his seat at the banquet feeling a little dejected. A few moments later one of the servants approached Simonides and informed him that two very insistent men were outside and needed to speak to him regarding a very urgent matter.
Simonides stepped outside only to find no one. As he turned around to reenter the building the roof collapsed killing all inside. Simonedes was the soul survivor. It was clear to him that the gods had made good on their payment.
As the wreckage was cleared the surviving family members of the nobles asked Simonedes to help them identify the remains of their loved ones. To Simonides’ own surprise, he was able to perfectly recall where everyone had been sitting at the banquet.
This event helped Simonides realize that our memories associated with locations are naturally stronger than our general memories. A fact that makes good evolutionary sense, as the hunter-gatherers who couldn’t remember how to get back home each night weren’t likely to survive very long.
And so the Memory Palace, or Method Loci, was born.
It’s really simple. Just pick a place you know very well, and in your mind navigate a normal path through it. Then place mental images at the markers along the way.
For our example, we’ll use the house below, but if you really want to get good at this you should always use places that you already know and can easily recreate in your mind. The more points you remember the better.
Now we’ll use this path to memorize the corresponding images below which will help us memorize the beginning of the Declaration of Independence (since my 12-year-old son has to do this for school anyway).
A Windy Golf Course
When in the course of human events
Becomes Nessy (The Loch Ness Monster)
It becomes necessary
A Peephole
For one people
Rubber Bands Being Disloved In A Pot
To dissolve the political bands
Connect 4
Which Have Connected them with another
A Tsunami
And a assume
A Monk
among
Captain Planet
The powers of the earth
A Train Station in Alabama
The separate and equal station
Two Witches
To which
The 10 Commandments Being Held By God
The Laws of Nature and Nature’s God
A Book Entitled, “Them”
Entitle them
A Decent Respect
(I am open to suggestions for this one)
The Twitter Bird
For the opinions of mankind
Customs Agent
Requires they should declare
The Cousins
The causes
One Witch
Which
Being Impaled to Separation
Impel them to separation. (I’ll spare you that actual image.)
Adding A Story To The Loci Method
To further strengthen the memory I’ll try to work the images into a strange and humorous story - since we are pretty good at memorizing those too.
On a windy golf course, one of the golfers becomes Nessy. He then looks through a peephole at station 3 in our path and sees a big pot of dissolving rubber bands. Next to the pot, there is a game of Connect 4 going on.
Then out of nowhere, a tsunami washes over a monk - changing him into Captain Planet. He flies to a train station in Alabama and sees two witches. Being a good missionary he tries to give the witches the 10 commandments. They in return give him a book about Aliens entitled “Them”. Showing a decent respect for them he goes on Twitter to share his opinions about their book.
That is when a customs agent at the train station requires him to declare what he is bringing on the train. You get on the train with your cousins, but one of the witches attacks your cousin. Then somebody gets impaled to separation - I’ll let you the reader decide who.
Now see if you can do it.
“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands that connected them with another, and assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature, and nature’s god entitle them, a decent respect for the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation.”