Welcome to the website of the research programme of the University of Cyprus, entitled “Storyworlds in Collections: Toward a Theory of the Ancient and Byzantine Tale (2nd Century CE–7th Century CE)”.

The Greco-Roman and Early Byzantine tale (2nd – 7thc. AD) is the subject of a research programme of the University of Cyprus entitled: Storyworlds in Collections: Toward a Theory of the Ancient and Byzantine Tale”. The Programme, having the acronym TaleTheory (POST-DOC/0718/0021), is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Foundation of Research and Innovation (Programme “DIDAKTOR”). The research team consists of researchers from the University of Cyprus and other European universities (University of Southern Denmark and University of Uppsala).

TaleTheory will pursue groundbreaking research in Classics, Byzantine Studies and Literary Criticism by writing a critical history of the ancient and early Byzantine tale and by positing the first relevant theory based on a corpus of representative, yet understudied texts, which have come down to us in the form of collections. Moreover, TaleTheory seeks to disseminate the project findings and outcomes to the wider community, and it works with therapists, educators, sociologists, and the general public to exchange information in an effort to cultivate awareness concerning the importance of storytelling and story writing to self-understanding and emotional development and stability.

In an attempt to understand and promote the study of the early tale, TaleTheory creates and fosters collaborations with Classicists, Byzantinists, Folklorists, and Literary Theorists, as well as Therapists, Sociologists, Educators, and Literary Authors. TaleTheory thus shows that an engagement with the dynamic relationship among ancient, Byzantine, and modern is essential to an understanding, on the one hand, of the literary production of past societies and, on the other, allows influential participation in contemporary debates about literature’s place and uses in modern technological societies.

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