The Memory Code

Lynne Kelly

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English

Allen & Unwin
22 June 2016

Indigenous peoples; Memory; Mathematics & Sciences; Popular science

In the past, the elders had encyclopaedic memories. They could name all the animals and plants across the landscape, and the stars in the sky too. Yet most of us struggle to memorise more than a short poem.

Using traditional Aboriginal Australian songlines as the key, Lynne Kelly has identified the powerful memory technique used by indigenous people around the world. She has discovered that this ancient memory technique is the secret behind the great stone monuments like Stonehenge, which have for so long puzzled archaeologists.

The stone circles across Britain and northern Europe, the elaborate stone houses of New Mexico, the huge animal shapes at Nasca in Peru, and the statues of Easter Island all serve as the most effective memory system ever invented by humans. They allowed people in non-literate cultures to memorise the vast amounts of practical information they needed to survive.

In her fascinating book The Memory Code, Lynne Kelly shows us how we can use this ancient technique to train our memories today.

'She takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the past and around the world and into the minds of people who would not need to publish a book like this. They already knew it.' -Iain Davidson, Emeritus Professor, University of New England

By: Lynne Kelly
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
Weight: 470g
ISBN: 9781760291327
ISBN 10: 1760291323
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 22 June 2016
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface 1. Encyclopaedic memories of the elders 2. Memory spaces, large and small 3. Memory spaces in a modern world 4. A journey through time 5. The ever-changing memory spaces at Stonehenge 6. The megalithic complexes of Avebury and Orkney 7. Newgrange and the passage cairns of Ireland 8. The tall stones and endless rows of Carnac 9. The unparalleled architecture of Chaco Canyon 10. Giants drawings on the desert floor at Nasca 11. Memory spaces across the Americas 12. Polynesian navigators create a unique world on Easter Island Epilogue Acknowledgements About the author Notes Index

Dr Lynne Kelly is a science writer and an Honorary Research Associate at La Trobe University.

Reviews for The Memory Code

'In this age when information can be easily sourced online, there is still a case for memory...Perhaps preliterate societies might offer us valuable lessons.' - Cosmos Magazine 'This fascinating narrative offers fresh interpretations of these physical spaces and their archaeological discoveries. Readers interested in preliterate cultures, Neolithic archaeological sites, and memory techniques will find this research thought provoking.' - Library Journal