The skull associated with Cleopatra’s half-sister is not what it seems

For decades, scientists believed that the skeleton discovered by archaeologists in the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus in 1929 belonged to Cleopatra’s half-sister, Arsinoe IV. However, recent analysis has revealed that the remains actually belonged to a young boy, overturning long-standing speculation.

Researchers in Austria have identified the individual discovered almost a century ago as an adolescent suffering from developmental problems. The analysis detailed on January 10 study in the diary Scientific reportsfinally ending speculation that the skeleton might have belonged to Arsinoe IV.

Cleopatra VII, the last active ruler of Egypt’s Ptolemaic kingdom, was renowned for her political skills and strategic alliances that influenced the ancient Mediterranean world. Her younger half-sister and rival for the throne, Arsinoe IV, was eventually executed on Cleopatra’s orders as part of her efforts to consolidate power.

In 1929, a team including the Austrian archaeologist Joseph Keil discovered a sarcophagus in the remains of the Octagon, an impressive burial chamber with possibly Egyptian-inspired architectural elements built on the main street of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, in modern-day Turkey. Archaeologists found an entire skeleton and Cale took its skull.

Cale suggests that the burial belonged to an important person, possibly a young woman. More than two decades later, Josef Wenninger, head of the Institute of Anthropology at the University of Vienna, agreed with this assessment. Then, in 1982, archaeologists conducting excavations found parts of the remaining skeleton in various parts of the burial chamber.

In the following decade, the supposed Egyptian influence of the Octagon, its important position in the ancient city, and the fact that Arsinoe He is said to have been killed in Ephesus around 41 AD. etc. n. is. for a rebellion against Cleopatra, leading to speculation that the skeleton belonged to the pharaoh’s ill-fated sister.

Now we know that’s not the case. A recent interdisciplinary team led by Gerhard Weber of the University of Vienna digitized the skull using microcomputed tomography (a 3D imaging technique that uses X-rays) before conducting anthropological analyzes that led them to conclude that the individual was a boy aged between 11 and 14 years of age, potentially originating from the Italian peninsula or the island of Sardinia.

He apparently suffered from developmental disorders, including a deformed skull and an underdeveloped upper jaw. These conditions would have caused severe problems with chewing, which the researchers inferred from the unusual wear on its two surviving teeth. Researchers are still not sure what may have caused the growth disorders.

Interestingly, however, the remains are dated between 205 and 36 AD. etc. n. f., which overlaps with the supposed life of Arsinoe. Genetic tests also confirmed that the skull matched the rest of the skeleton found in the burial chamber in the 1980s, from which the team had samples.

“In repeated tests, both the skull and the femur clearly showed the presence of a Y chromosome – in other words, male,” said Weber at the University of Vienna statement. Researchers suggest that the boy may have been a Roman living in Ephesus.

While scientists still aren’t sure exactly who this boy was, they do know that she certainly wasn’t Cleopatra’s wayward sister — meaning the search for the real Arsinoe IV is still on.