ABSTRACT
Ancient and medieval treatises on mnemonics emphasized that human memory relies upon the production, storage and invention of mental images or phantasmata. This Greek word, the source of the terms 'phantasm' and 'fantasy' in most European languages, evokes not only the ghostly condition of recollections, but also the potential of these mental images for generating new images and meanings. In the central Middle Ages, the Trojan War was one of the most powerful and appealing themes in royal and aristocratic circles and even in the privacy of prominent burgher and merchant families, enjoying an unrivalled success all over Europe from the mid-twelfth century onwards. The rhetorical prowess of authors like Benot and the anonymous writer of the Histoire ancienne seems to have been effective in stimulating the imagination of these audiences. Troy was rebuilt in the realm of memory and, as in the Bestiaire d'amours, words seemed to summon images.
