MEMORY
Ancient speakers were expected to deliver their remarks from memory with at most a few notes as prompts. To aid in this process, the schools of rhetoric transmitted a number of memory-systems. Most famous of these is the system of places and images, which is clearly described in the Rhetoric to Herennius. Although the system is referred to in a number of ancient and medieval treatises, the first-century CE professor of rhetoric Quintilian expresses doubt as to its practical efficacy and describes alternative exercises for strengthening the memory. Whatever means were used, it seems clear that ancient speakers were expected to have exceptionally strong verbal, visual and conceptual memories, at least by contemporary standards. It’s also clear that the widespread availability of writing did not diminish the social and cultural importance attached to memory. Indeed, for Quintilian, writing is a means for strengthening, rather than replacing, memory.