<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 200%;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 200%; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">This paper aimed to establish a dialogue between the history of pre-scientific knowledge and experimental research on memory, pointing out the similarities between these concepts. Some topics such as the topographic description of working memory, the binding process in memory, the mental image and the concern about an interface between theory and practice in classical texts remain current. It is also noted that the debate over the years about how memory works generated a description of the psychobiological phenomenon, based on the integration of cognitive functions resulting in the performance of complex activities. The historical view about memory can contribute to the contemporary scientific practice, to allow the development of theoretical formulations and methods of research more coherent and integrated with the knowledge collected throughout history.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>