BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Milestones: Konstantinos Politis (1958–2026)

Excavator of Lot’s cave sanctuary and other Dead Sea sites

Konstantinos Politis. Photo from BAS archive.

Konstantinos Politis (better known as Dino to colleagues and friends) was a leading figure in Jordan’s archaeology and cultural heritage for more than four decades. In 1984, he participated in his first excavation at Tell Um Hammad in the Jordan Valley. He next worked for several seasons with the British Museum excavations at the nearby site of Tell es-Saidiyeh. Politis’s signature contribution, however, was in understanding the southeastern Dead Sea region, particularly the area of Ghor es-Safi (biblical Zoar), where he directed the important project to survey, excavate, and conserve the Byzantine monastic complex of the Sanctuary of St. Lot. While an associate with the British Museum, he also led excavations at the extensive cemetery of Khirbet Qazone on the Dead Sea’s Lisan Peninsula. The burials and inscribed tombstones there and at Ghor es-Safi illuminate who was living in the area in Roman and early Byzantine times.

His major monograph, Excavations of the Sanctuary of Lot at Deir ‘Ain ‘Abata in Jordan, 1988–2003 (British Museum, 2008), conveys the immensity of the Sanctuary of St. Lot project. The natural cave in the basilica church was believed by early Christians to be the location where Lot and his daughters took refuge after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.ⁱ With colleagues, he later published additional studies on the site and its surroundings, most notably Ancient Landscapes of Zoara I and II: Surveys and Excavations at the Ghor as-Safi in Jordan, 1997–2018 (Palestine Exploration Fund, 2021 and 2022).

Beyond his work at the Sanctuary of St. Lot, Politis played a pivotal role in bringing to fruition the Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth in Ghor es-Safi. The museum, which formally opened in 2012 and includes artifacts and displays highlighting the Dead Sea’s history and archaeology, also features a conservation lab and storage facility that are important for Jordan’s efforts to protect the region’s heritage, especially its many mosaics.

Politis also directed the Zoara Project, which included survey and excavations at the sites of Khirbet esh-Shaykh ‘Isa and Tawahin es-Sukkar (also known as Masna‘ es-Sukkar) in the Safi region. The former revealed Byzantine layers and church mosaics, as well as Islamic levels showing it was the medieval market town of Zughor (Segor) connected with a nearby sugar factory (Masna‘ es-Sukkar). His excavation and conservation efforts at these sites received support from several organizations, including the Archaeological Institute of America and the American Center of Research (ACOR), the latter helping Politis pursue his longtime interest in engaging local communities with archaeology and site preservation. His popular book, Zoara, the Southern Ghor of Jordan: A Guide to the Landscape and Heritage of the Lowest Place on Earth (ACOR, 2020), summarizes much of this work.

Politis near where the Wadi el-Hasa (biblical Zered) flows into the Dead Sea. Photo courtesy Barbara A. Porter.

Over the decades, Politis was involved in numerous international collaborations and projects, notably serving as the initial organizer of the 16th International Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan, which was held in Athens in September 2025, though a debilitating stroke earlier that year prevented him from attending. In addition, he served as assistant director for the British Museum excavations at Ra’s al-Hadd in Oman from 1998 to 2006, and participated in the work of Damascus University’s Syrian Mosaic Pavement Documentation project from 2004 to 2009.

Politis’s academic career included a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and anthropology from George Washington University (1980), a master’s in public administration from the College of Europe in Bruges, a second master’s in archaeology from the University of London (1984), and a Ph.D. in archaeology from the University of Ioannina in Greece (2004). He was co-founder and chairman of the Hellenic Society for Near Eastern Studies, which was headquartered at his home in Chalcis on the Greek island of Euboea. His home was a library, archive, and mini-museum, filled with interesting objects reflecting his life, research, and many interests.

Dino was renowned for his enthusiasm and kindness and will be remembered by the legion of people who had the chance to interact with him in so many different settings.

Barbara A. Porter is the former director of the American Center of Research (2006–2020) in Amman, Jordan. Previously, she served as an assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Notes

i Konstantinos Politis, “Where Lot’s Daughters Seduced Their Father,” BAR, January/February 2004.