Nearly 100 years ago, an ancient Egyptian skeleton was found in the Octagon, a stunning eight-sided mausoleum in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus.
For decades, scientists had identified the skeleton as that of Arsinoe IV, the doomed half-sister of Cleopatra VII, one of Egypt’s most famous queens.
But a groundbreaking new analysis by researchers in Austria reveals a ‘big surprise’ – and a remarkable case of mistaken idenтιтy.
Results show the body actually belonged to that of a boy, aged between 11 and 14 at time of death sometime between 205 and 36 BC.
The boy suffered from ‘pathological developmental disorders’ including an ‘underdeveloped upper jaw’ which would have made it difficult to chew, experts say.
However, researchers do not know much about who the boy was, while it also means the remains of Cleopatra’s half-sister are still missing.
‘The person buried in the Octagon was not Arsinoe IV, and the search for her remains should continue,’ say the academics, from the University of Vienna.
‘The fate of the body of Arsinoe IV, who reportedly was killed in 41 BC in Ephesos, remains open.
In 1929, a skull was found in the ruins of Ephesos – and was later identified as that of Arsinoë IV, Cleopatra’s murdered half-sister. But a new study now reveals this is a case of mistaken idenтιтy
Arsinoe IV was murdered in Ephesos around 41 BCE at the instigation of Mark Antony, Cleopatra’s lover. Pictured are artistic depictions of Arsinoe IV, the fourth of six children and the youngest daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes (also Cleopatra’s father)
‘In contrast, investigations regarding the fate and social background of the boy from the Octagon can now proceed free of speculation.’
The incredible saga dates back to 1929, when Austrian archaeologist Dr Josef Keil and his colleagues found a sarcophagus completely filled with water in the ruins of the once magnificent Octagon.
Dating back to the late 1st century BC, the Octagon was a monumental eight-sided white marble mausoleum, around 40 feet (13 metres) high.
Dr Keil – who took the skull for analysis but left the rest of the body – concluded it was that of ‘a very distinguished person’, probably a 20-year-old woman.
Further studies in the early 1950s and a study of the skull and the rest of the body in the 1980s also concluded it was that of a female.
But archaeologists continued to speculate about the idenтιтy of this ‘obviously notable person’, as well as the reliability of the conclusions.
Rival experts said evidence linking the bones to Arsinoe had been largely circumstantial, while even the researcher who found them admitted they’d been handled too many times to get a reliable DNA test result.
To provide an answer, the University of Vienna team performed morphological, genetic and dating analyses of the cranium – the part of the skull that directly houses the brain.
Austrian paleoanthropologist and lead author of the new study Gerhard Weber holds the skull (left) with co-author Martin Steskal
The remains were found in the once magnificent ‘Octagon’, a splendid building on the main street of Ephesos. Dating back to the late 1st century BC, it was a monumental eight-sided white marble mausoleum, around 40 feet (13 metres) high
Virtually reconstructed image of the Octagon in Ephesos, the ancient Greece city, now in Turkey, which had a steep pyramidal roof and stood on a square base
Who was Arsinoe IV?
Arsinoe IV (68–63 BC to 41 BC)was the younger half-sister of Cleopatra VII, one of Egypt’s most famous queens.
Both women were daughters of Ptolemy XII Auletes, although some speculate that they also shared the same mother and so were full sisters.
Arsínoe IV was the queen of Cyprus and, like her famous sibling, dreamed of taking power over of Egypt.
The hatred between these two sisters unleashed one of the bloodiest wars in Egypt. She was executed at Ephesus by orders of Mark Antony in 41 BC at the behest of Cleopatra.
They did further analyses of bone samples from a femur (the thigh bone) and a rib of the skeleton.
Geneticists found a match between the skull and existing samples of the femur – showing the body and skull in the tomb were of the same person.
They also used carbon-14 dating, a scientific method that can accurately determine the age of organic materials as old as 60,000 years.
Carbon 14 dating of the cranium revealed a most likely time range between 205 and 36 BC – so within the traditionally-given date of death of Arsinoë IV (41 BC).
But what the team found next was what lead study author Gerhard Weber described as a ‘big surprise’.
‘In repeated tests, the skull and femur both clearly showed the presence of a Y chromosome – in other words, a male,’ he said.
Images of the dental roots and the still-developing skull base confirmed the boy was still in his puberty and was around 11 to 14 years old.
His genes point to an origin in Italy or Sardinia, but analysis also revealed ‘significant developmental disturbances’ due to an unspecified pathological developmental issue.
A ‘repeated claim’ is that the remains could represent Arsinoe IV, daughter of Ptolemy XII, and younger half-sister of Cleopatra VII
Images of the dental roots and the still-developing skull base confirmed the boy from the Octagon was still in his puberty and was around 11 to 14 years old
Cleopatra VII, known both as a seductress with a captivating personality, used her charms to seduce Julius Caesar to cement Egypt’s alliance with Rome
One of his cranial sutures, which normally only fuses at the age of 65, was already closed in his case – giving the skull a very asymmetrical shape.
He also had an underdeveloped upper jaw, which was unusually angled downwards and would have led to major problems with chewing.
The University of Vienna team are now presented with something of a conundrum in terms of working out who exactly this boy was.
The Octagon has long been considered significant burial place probably for important individuals, a shrine due to its stunning architecture and important location.
But the boy’s cranium was ‘accompanied by severe problems and disturbances which are compatible with any social strata’ – meaning he was not necessarily wealthy or privileged, but then was not necessarily disadvantaged either.
‘Why this 11-14-year-old boy suffering from significant developmental disturbances was buried in such a prominent building within the Ephesos urban area also remains unexplained for the moment,’ the team say in their paper in Scientific Reports.
He was possibly a member of the Romans living in Ephesos, although the experts say there’s a lack of genetic data linking him to what is modern-day Turkey.
‘A wide range of new research questions are open regarding the origin, fate and social background of the Octagon-boy,’ they add.
