This month, two Cypriots, Dr Michalis Olympios of the University of Cyprus and Dr Anthi Andronikou of the University of St Andrews in Scotland, will take part in a Getty Foundation project to explore connections between Christians and Muslims in the middle ages.
The project called Art of the Crusades: A Re-Evaluation has been organised by Professor Scott Redford of SOAS University of London and has already seen the two Cypriots join a team of fourteen other international academics on visits to Turkey and Israel.
On the visit to Greece, (3rd – 8th April 2016) they will visit the medieval sites of the Peloponnese as guests of Maria Georgopoulou of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.
As part of the project, the researchers aim to challenge the idea that Christians and Muslims only ever fought wars during the medieval period. Instead, the organisers argue, there was a huge amount of cultural exchange during the period that shows it was a time of co-operation as well as warfare.
Further information: www.soas.ac.uk/artofthecrusades