
The Memory Code
Unlocking the Secrets of the Lives of the Ancients and the Power of the Human Mind
Lynne Kelly(Author)
Atlantic Books (Publisher)
Published on 2. February 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-78239-905-6 (ISBN)
Description
In ancient, pre-literate cultures across the globe, tribal elders had encyclopedic memories. They could name all the animals and plants across a landscape, identify the stars in the sky and recite the history of their people. Yet today, most of us struggle to memorize more than a short poem.
Using traditional Aboriginal Australian song lines as a starting point, Lynne Kelly has since identified the powerful memory technique used by our ancestors and indigenous people around the world. In turn, she has then discovered that this ancient memory technique is the secret purpose behind the great prehistoric monuments like Stonehenge, which have puzzled archaeologists for so long.
The stone circles across Britain and northern Europe, the elaborate stone houses of New Mexico, huge animal shapes in Peru, the statues of Easter Island - these all serve as the most effective memory system ever invented by humans. They allowed people in non-literate cultures to memorize the vast amounts of information they needed to survive. But how?
For the first time, Lynne Kelly reveals the purpose of these monuments and their uses as 'memory places', and shows how we can use this ancient technique to train our minds.
Using traditional Aboriginal Australian song lines as a starting point, Lynne Kelly has since identified the powerful memory technique used by our ancestors and indigenous people around the world. In turn, she has then discovered that this ancient memory technique is the secret purpose behind the great prehistoric monuments like Stonehenge, which have puzzled archaeologists for so long.
The stone circles across Britain and northern Europe, the elaborate stone houses of New Mexico, huge animal shapes in Peru, the statues of Easter Island - these all serve as the most effective memory system ever invented by humans. They allowed people in non-literate cultures to memorize the vast amounts of information they needed to survive. But how?
For the first time, Lynne Kelly reveals the purpose of these monuments and their uses as 'memory places', and shows how we can use this ancient technique to train our minds.
Reviews / Votes
Dr Kelly has developed an intriguing and highly original account of the purpose of Stonehenge, Avebury and other stone monuments; the depth and breadth of her research, and the experimental experience she has brought to her study, command respect and invite serious attention. -- Ros Cleal, author of STONEHENGE IN ITS LANDSCAPE This is an exquisite thesis. Dr Lynne Kelly provides a perfectly rational explanation of ancient monuments as "memory spaces" where non-literate man could memorise pragmatic knowledge crucial to survival. -- Dominic O'Brien, World Memory Champion Takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the past and around the world... An engaging and exciting read. -- Iain Davidson, Emeritus Professor, University of New EnglandMore details
Edition
Main - Print on Demand
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
3x8pp colour plates and integrated illos
Dimensions
Height: 242 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
723 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78239-905-6 (9781782399056)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Lynne Kelly
The Memory Code
Unlocking the Secrets of the Lives of the Ancients and the Power of the Human Mind
E-Book
02/2017
Atlantic Books
€8.49
Available for download
Person
Dr Lynne Kelly is a science writer and an Honorary Research Associate at La Trobe University.