Scientists SOLVE the mystery of 'Cleopatra's sister's' skull - as they encounter a 'big surprise'
Share:
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.
![[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)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/13/94037023-14278461-image-a-101_1736775568201.jpg)
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.
![[Austrian paleoanthropologist and lead author of the new study Gerhard Weber holds the skull (left) with co-author Martin Steskal]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/14/94035645-14278461-image-a-103_1736777233777.jpg)
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 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]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/13/94035639-14278461-image-a-96_1736773482050.jpg)
'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.
![[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]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/12/94035633-14278461-image-a-92_1736772186812.jpg)
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).
![[A 'repeated claim' is that the remains could represent Arsinoe IV, daughter of Ptolemy XII, and younger half-sister of Cleopatra VII]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/12/94035635-14278461-image-m-94_1736772846297.jpg)
