Long before the invention of writing, the people of the Ancient Near East used images and objects to help them remember. The imagery suggests that the practice of memory was associated with shamanistic religious beliefs. The continuities both in memory tools and visual expression over thousands of years were interrupted with the advent of cities, centralized temples, and the invention of writing. This talk will investigate how the village-based systems of memory and associated religious practices were co-opted by the urban temple and its scribes.