The Acropolis of Athens as a Memory Palace

1-minute read • Updated on 2 Apr 2023

In 2011 I visited the Acropolis in Athens to create a memory palace there.

My idea was to use photos, models, paintings, floor plans, and Wikipedia.

The Parthenon close-up

As I walked around, I wondered what ancient mnemonists wandered around the Acropolis in togas 25 centuries ago, placing mnemonic images in the temples. Back then, I imagine that memory techniques were so common that there were no “mnemonists”–it was just how people did things.

Below are a few photos from the Acropolis. I wasn’t allowed to take photos inside the museum, but there are some fantastic things there. At the moment, I’m writing this blog post from a ferry on the Aegean Sea. I won’t say yet where I’m going to create my next memory journey, but it involves a historic mnemonist-poet. Maybe someone can guess! :)

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The Parthenon

The Parthenon in Athens