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 identity.
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 identity
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 identity 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.
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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
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.
While Cleopatra is well-remembered today, less famous is her half-sister Arsinoe IV, one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty. She was taken as a prisoner of war to Rome by the Roman triumvir Julius Caesar following the defeat of Ptolemy XIII in the Battle of the Nile (47 BC)
‘Future analyses of strontium isotopes might help understanding whether he was born and raised locally or arrived from abroad.’
Ultimately, the crucial finding is that the Octagon individual is a male, so any connection with Arsinoe IV ‘can be excluded’.
While Cleopatra is well-remembered today, less famous is her half-sister Arsinoe IV, one of the last members of Egypt’s Ptolemaic dynasty.
Ptolemaic dynasty was a royal house which controlled ancient Egypt until its incorporation into the Roman Republic in 30 BC – eventually succeeded by the mighty Roman Empire.
Both Arsinoe and Cleopatra were daughters of King Ptolemy XII Auletes, although some historians speculate that they also shared the same mother and so were full sisters.
In 47 BC, Arsinoe IV was taken as a prisoner of war to Rome by the Roman triumvir Julius Caesar following the defeat of Ptolemy XIII in the Battle of the Nile.
She was executed in Ephesus in 41 BC by orders of Roman politician Mark Antony at the behest of Cleopatra, his lover.
