Centre for Medieval Arts & Rituals

📢 Open PhD Research Position at the University of Cyprus – StoryPharm MSCA Doctoral Network
The Centre for Medieval Arts and Rituals (CeMAR) at the University of Cyprus is inviting applications for a fully funded 2-year Special Scientist (Research Associate) / PhD position within the Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network project StoryPharm – Storytelling as Pharmakon in Premodernity and Beyond: Training the New Generation of Researchers in Health Humanities.
📍 Position based in Nicosia, Cyprus
📅 Application deadline: 15 June 2026 (14:00 CET)
Research Project:
“Female Melancholia in Anna Komnene and Julia Kristeva” (StoryPharm Fellow 16)
The project explores how writing and storytelling function as therapeutic practices for mourning women across medieval and modern contexts, focusing on:
• Anna Komnene’s Alexiad
• Julia Kristeva’s Meurtre à Byzance and theoretical work on melancholia
• Intersections of gender, memory, grief, narrative, and healing
The successful candidate will:
• Be enrolled in the PhD Programme in Byzantine Studies and the Latin East at UCY
• Work under the supervision of Prof. Stavroula Constantinou and Prof. Maria Margaroni
• Undertake international secondments at the University of Salerno and the David Collection in Copenhagen
• Join an international MSCA Doctoral Network across Europe
💼 Employment Conditions
• Full-time position (140 hours/month)
• Gross salary: €2,283.36/month
• Additional mobility allowance: €583.09/month
• Family allowance where applicable
• PhD tuition fully covered
🔗 Full Vacancy Announcement:
https://www.ucy.ac.cy/storypharm/vacancies/
https://www.ucy.ac.cy/storypharm/

Stavroula Constantinou

Vacancies – StoryPharm – MSCA DN UCY Are you getting or have already received an MA in Ancient or Medieval History, Art History, Byzantine Studies, Classics, Cultural Heritage Studies, Medieval Studies, Philology (Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, or Latin), Religious Studies, or Studies in Medievalism? Are you intereste...

You are warmly invited to the Closing Ceremony Lecture of the Tamasos Free University on the topic:
“Representations of Breastfeeding in Byzantine Literature and Art”
Speakers:
- Stavroula Constantinou, Professor of Byzantine Studies and Director of CeMAR, University Of Cyprus
- Irene Panou, Postdoctoral Researcher at CeMAR
Moderator:
Savvas Mavromatidis
https://www.ucy.ac.cy/cemar/representations-of-breastfeeding-in-byzantine-literature-and-art/?lang=en

📍 Synod Hall of the Tamasos and Oreini Bishopric, Episkopeio
📅 Tuesday, 26 May 2026
🕖 7:00 p.m.

Participation certificates will be awarded after the lecture.
The event will also be livestreamed via the RIK YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/live/dZ2IgDrAhaE?si=W5Ewf6Uaovnhltzf

“Representations of Breastfeeding in Byzantine Literature and Art” Closing Ceremony Lecture of the Tamasos Free University You are warmly invited to the Closing Ceremony Lecture of the Tamasos Free University on the topic: “Representations of Breastfeeding in Byzantine Literature and Art”

Επικίνδυνες γυναίκες του Βυζαντίου στο θέατρο: Βιωματικό εργαστήριο για τη Θεοδώρα και τις έμφυλες αφηγήσεις | Philenews Πώς ενσαρκώνεται σήμερα στη σκηνή μία από τις πιο αμφιλεγόμενες γυναικείες μορφές της βυζαντινής ιστορίας; Με ποιους τρόπους οι σύγχρονες θεατρικές αναπαραστάσει...

If you are interested in theatre, or in exploring gender and power aspects of plays, join us on May 26, at 11:00 a.m. (EEST) at Satiriko Theatre for an interactive workshop and themed event!
The event is free of charge and open to the public.

You can register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/E3ztEs7Kfu

More info: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/bstage/dangerous-women-of-byzantium-on-stage/

CeMAR is pleased to announce the participation of Prof. Stavroula Constantinou, University of Cyprus, in the international conference “Beyond Mother Goddesses: Toward an Archaeology of Motherhood and Religion”, hosted by the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava, on 19–20 May 2026.

https://www.ucy.ac.cy/motherbreast/beyond-mother-goddesses/

Prof. Constantinou will present the paper “Mothering in Byzantine Shrines” as part of Session 5: Religious Spaces, Images, and Texts, which will take place on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.

The conference brings together international scholars working on motherhood, religion, archaeology, material culture, texts, images, and ritual practices across ancient and premodern contexts.

📍 Comenius University Bratislava
📅 19–20 May 2026
🎤 Stavroula Constantinou, “Mothering in Byzantine Shrines”

International conference “Beyond Mother Goddesses: Toward an Archaeology of Motherhood and Religion”, hosted by Comenius University Bratislava on 19–20 May 2026 We are delighted to announce that Stavroula Constantinou (CeMAR, University of Cyprus) will present a paper on mothering in Byzantine shrines at the international conference

📢 Open PhD Research Position at the University of Cyprus – StoryPharm MSCA Doctoral Network

The Centre for Medieval Arts and Rituals (CeMAR) at the University of Cyprus is inviting applications for a fully funded 2-year Special Scientist (Research Associate) / PhD position within the Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network project StoryPharm – Storytelling as Pharmakon in Premodernity and Beyond: Training the New Generation of Researchers in Health Humanities.

📍 Position based in Nicosia, Cyprus
📅 Application deadline: 15 June 2026 (14:00 CET)

Research Project:
“Female Melancholia in Anna Komnene and Julia Kristeva” (StoryPharm Fellow 16)

The project explores how writing and storytelling function as therapeutic practices for mourning women across medieval and modern contexts, focusing on:
• Anna Komnene’s Alexiad
• Julia Kristeva’s Meurtre à Byzance and theoretical work on melancholia
• Intersections of gender, memory, grief, narrative, and healing

The successful candidate will:
• Be enrolled in the PhD Programme in Byzantine Studies and the Latin East at UCY
• Work under the supervision of Prof. Stavroula Constantinou and Prof. Maria Margaroni
• Undertake international secondments at the University of Salerno and the David Collection in Copenhagen
• Join an international MSCA Doctoral Network across Europe

💼 Employment Conditions
• Full-time position (140 hours/month)
• Gross salary: €2,283.36/month
• Additional mobility allowance: €583.09/month
• Family allowance where applicable
• PhD tuition fully covered

🔗 Full Vacancy Announcement:
https://www.ucy.ac.cy/storypharm/vacancies/
https://www.ucy.ac.cy/storypharm/


Stavroula Constantinou

Vacancies – StoryPharm – MSCA DN UCY Are you getting or have already received an MA in Ancient or Medieval History, Art History, Byzantine Studies, Classics, Cultural Heritage Studies, Medieval Studies, Philology (Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, or Latin), Religious Studies, or Studies in Medievalism? Are you intereste...

🚀 Happening Now | StoryPharm Training in Entrepreneurship
Our doctoral candidates are currently taking part in “How to Become a Sciencepreneur”, an interactive training session exploring how humanities research can translate into entrepreneurial innovation. Hosted by the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (BIG) at the University of Bamberg, this webinar introduces participants to the possibilities of transforming research insights into impactful ventures.
Led by Anette Kremer and Sebastian Hillebrand, the session invites fellows to rethink the relationship between scholarship and innovation by asking:
🔹 What does it mean to be a sciencepreneur?
🔹 What challenges do researchers face in launching a startup?
🔹 What entrepreneurial mindset is needed?
🔹 How can academic research generate business opportunities?
Through practical tools, discussions, and direct engagement with founders, participants are gaining valuable insights into alternative pathways for research exploitation and career development.

Interdisciplinary Symposium Examines Breastfeeding across Historical, Medical, Moral and Cultural Contexts

09 May 2026

An interdisciplinary symposium titled “Contexts of Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding across Contexts” will take place on 09 May 2026 at the University of Nicosia (UNIC), bringing together leading scholars and healthcare professionals to explore breastfeeding through diverse historical, medical, moral, and cultural lenses.

The symposium is organised by Stavroula Constantinou (Prof. and Founder of the Centre for Medieval Arts & Rituals – CeMAR, University of Cyprus) and Eirini Kampriani (Ass. Prof. of Medical Anthropology & Bioethics, UNIC Medical School). It is held within the framework of the two-year research project (2025–2027) “Maternal Milk: Breastfeeding in Middle and Late Byzantium (8th–15th c.)”.

The project, coordinated by CeMAR, is implemented under the social cohesion programme “THALIA 2021–2027” and co-funded by the European Union through the Research and Innovation Foundation.

The event will be held at the Jean Monnet Amphitheatre, Millennium Building, UNIC (46 Makedonitissis Avenue, 2417 Nicosia), from 09:00 to 13:30. Registration will begin at 09:15. A reception will follow the closing session.

🎓 Certificates of attendance will be provided
🥂 Reception to follow

Programme:https://www.ucy.ac.cy/motherbreast/wp-content/uploads/sites/190/2026/04/SymposiumMaternalMilkProgramme.pdf

🔗 Details:

Interdisciplinary Symposium Examines Breastfeeding across Historical, Medical, Moral and Cultural Contexts An interdisciplinary symposium, “Contexts of Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding across Contexts”, will take place on 09 May 2026 at the University of Nicosia. Bringing together scholars and healthcare professionals, the event explores breastfeeding across historical, medical, moral, and cultural pe...

📢 New CeMAR Interview Release

Prof. Stavroula Constantinou, Director of the Centre for Medieval Arts & Rituals (CeMAR), is featured in a two-part radio interview on the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC), now available on CeMAR's YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/d7SjQghNOow

More info: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/motherbreast/motherhood-and-breastfeeding_2_3/

The discussion presents the research project on maternal milk and breastfeeding in Middle and Late Byzantium (8th–15th centuries), exploring:

▪ breastfeeding as the primary form of infant nutrition in premodern societies
▪ the role of wet nurses and structures of care
▪ gender roles and family dynamics
▪ medical knowledge and practices
▪ religious and cultural dimensions of motherhood

The interview highlights how a fundamental aspect of human life - infant feeding - opens up broader insights into society, economy, religion, and culture in the medieval world, with clear relevance to contemporary discussions on maternal support and care.

🔗 Learn more about CeMAR: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/cemar/

Maternal Milk and Breastfeeding in Byzantium Featured in CyBC Radio Interview with Professor Stavroula Constantinou Professor Stavroula Constantinou presents, in a radio interview on CyBC, her research on motherhood, breastfeeding, and the rituals of motherhood in Middle and Late Byzantium, highlighting the social, religious, and cultural dimensions of the topic.