The amount of material that needs to be researched, as well as the interdisciplinary aspect of the research – art historical, historical and archaeological – require a group of scholars from many fields working in collaboration. The members of the project’s team are all specialists in their respective fields, not only Cretan studies but also other areas of Byzantine art, history, archaeology and Italian Renaissance art and culture. Their collaboration will combine expertise from English, American, German and Greek research traditions, which have so far remained largely separate worlds in the area of Byzantine and post-Byzantine studies. This project will contribute to a more intensive international scholarly dialogue and a better and more effective sharing of resources.