Institute of Historical Research . Section of Byzantine Research

The project focuses on the identification of elements of orality and performance in the Late Antique, Byzantine and post-Byzantine period. The research team consists of scholars from different fields aiming to establish a methodology that will enable the project to approach through the perspective of performance texts and rituals of Greek tradition.

The theory of orality, first introduced by Homerists Milman Parry and Albert Lord, was further expanded by Gregory Nagy of Harvard University. Up until now, it has been studied primarily in terms of literary works of the middle Byzantine period (Theodore Prodromos’ poems, Manganeios Prodromos’ poems, Digenis Akrites etc.) by Michael and Elizabeth Jeffreys. The last few years have seen several studies by Margaret Mullett, Emmanuel Bourbouhakis, Przemysław Marciniak and Stratis Papaioannou examining various aspects of the relationship between rhetoric and performance.

The project has started in 2016 with the compilation of bibliography and working meetings, in which all contributors presented the relevant to the topic bibliography of their respective fields.
The aim of the project is the investigation of the main elements of orality and performance in written and visual records, as well as in rituals and performances that derive from archetypical models.
Since the beginning of the program monthly meetings are organized with the participation of the members of the research team, while another three public seminars on memory and performance were held in 2017 and 2018. The program also organized an international conference in cooperation with the Ioannou Centre of the University of Oxford.

Funding
The activities of the Project have been funded by the Centre for Hellenic Studies of Harvard University, the American College of Greece and by the Ioannou Centre of the University of Oxford.

Other members

External Collaborators
Maria Athanassopoulou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
George Calophonos, External Collaborator, IHR
Theofili Kampianaki, University of Birmingham
Korinna Lateli, University of Athens / Princeton University
Evgenia Mavrommati, New York University
Eirini Panou, Hellenic Open University
Stratis Papaioannou, University of Crete
Ioannis Petropoulos, Democritus University of Thrace / University of Padova
Maria Sardi, SOAS
Katia Savrami, University of Patras
Dionysis Skliris, University of Athens
Stavroula Solomou, University of Athens
Kostas Theologou, National Technical University of Athens
Nikoletta Trahoulia, American College of Greece

Conferences and Events

2017-2019: Monthly meetings of the research team for the compilation of a critical bibliography of the main disciplines involved in the project. Presentation of the case studies undertaken by members of the team and preparation of a collected studies volume.

Public seminars:

Centre for Hellenic Studies - Harvard, (Nafplio, December 2017). Main speaker: Professor George Kostopoulos (Department of Physiology of the Medical School of the University of Patras).
American College of Greece (Athens, March 2018). Main speaker: Gregory Nagy (Francis Jones Professor of Classics, Harvard University – Director CHS-Harvard, Washington D.C.).
NHRF (Athens, June 2018). Performativity in Word and Image. Speakers: Dr Nicoletta Trahoulia, Evgenia Mavrommati. Respondent to the speakers: Professor Ioli Kalavrezou, Harvard University.
NHRF (Athens, Novmeber 2018). Main speaker: Maria Sardi, historian of Islamic art.
International Conference at Ioannou Centre (Oxford University). Speakers included: Dimitris Tsomokos (Said Business School, Oxford), Renee Hischon (St Peter’s College - Oxford), Katia Savrami (University of Patras), Kostas Theologou (NTUA), Smilen Markov (University of Veliko Trnovo & Regent’s Park College, Oxford), Sebastian Brock (Wolfson College, Oxford) etc.