A well-preserved skeleton discovered in 1929 in a sarcophagus at the Octagon in Ephesos (Turkey) has long been speculated to belong to Arsinoë IV, Cleopatra VII’s half-sister. Using modern genetic, morphological, and dating analyses, researchers confirmed the bones are from a single individual, radiocarbon dated to 205, 36 BC. However, DNA analysis shows the skeleton is that of an 11, 14-year-old boy of Italian or Sardinian ancestry, ruling out the Arsinoë IV connection. The boy suffered significant developmental issues; the fate of Arsinoë IV remains unknown, while the Octagon boy’s identity can now be investigated more accurately.

The cranium analyzed in the study was radiocarbon dated to between 205 and 36 BCE, a time when Ephesos was a bustling cosmopolitan center, sitting at the crossroads of Greek, Anatolian, Persian, and Roman cultures.

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