It was an 11-year-old boy: scientists have revealed the secret of Cleopatra's sister's skull. Photo

For almost a century, scientists believed that the skull found in Turkey in 1929 belonged to Cleopatra's half-sister, Arsinae IV. In fact, it is the remains of an 11-year-old boy who had a genetic disease.

The new study used a combination of computed tomography and DNA analysis. So there can be no mistakes this time, LiveScience writes.

According to historians, the remains were found in a marble sarcophagus in a building called the Octagon in Ephesus, where there was a huge temple of the ancient Greek goddess of hunting, Artemis.

There were no inscriptions at the excavation site, but archaeologists of the time concluded that the burial was for an important young woman. They assumed that the bones belonged to Queen Arsinah IV of Egypt.

It is known from historical sources that she took up arms against her half-sister Cleopatra and Julius Caesar and led the siege of Alexandria in 48-47 B.C. Arsinoe and her troops lost this battle, and she sought refuge in the Temple of Artemis.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences noted that Arsinoe IV was killed in Ephesus around 41 BC on the orders of Mark Antony, Cleopatra's lover, the NewYorkPost reports.

A team of scientists has re-examined the possibility that a skull found centuries ago belonged to Cleopatra's sister. Their radiocarbon analysis of the remains put the date of the person's death between 205 and 36 BC, which is consistent with the historically recorded death of Arsinoe.

However, the stage of skeletal development showed that the person was only 11-14 years old – much younger than the murdered queen.

"But then there was another big surprise. During the repeated tests, the skull and femur clearly showed the presence of the Y chromosome, i.e., male sex," said Gerhard Weber, lead author of the study, professor of evolutionary anthropology at the University of Vienna.

Since the skull bones were thinner and more fragile than expected, the experts further examined the skeleton and found deformities that had not been noticed before.

According to the scientists, one of the sutures on the skull, which fuses over the course of a lifetime, was already closed, which usually does not happen until a person turns 65. The early closure of this suture indicates that the boy's skull was asymmetrical.

Even more striking, according to the researchers, was the abnormal shape of the person's upper jaw, combined with at least one tooth that showed no signs of wear. Both of these signs indicate that the boy had an improperly functioning upper jaw and a potentially small, abnormally oriented lower jaw, experts say.

According to the researchers, one possible explanation for these skull and jaw features is a rare genetic disorder called Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS). This condition affects the development of the face and head, causing a small jaw, slanted eyes, and hearing and vision problems.

However, scientists do not understand why this boy with developmental disabilities was buried in the prominent octagon in Ephesus.

"We can now say with certainty that the person buried in the Octagon was not Arsinoe IV, and the search for his remains must continue," the researchers concluded.

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