A Skull We Thought Belonged To Cleopatra’s Half-Sister Actually Turned Out To Be A Boy With A Rare Genetic Disorder
A skull thought to belong to Cleopatra’s half-sister, Arsinoë IV, has actually turned out to be from an adolescent boy who had a genetic disorder, according to CT scans and DNA analysis.
The skeleton was discovered in 1929 in a marble sarcophagus at a building called the Octagon, which was located in Ephesus, an archaeological site in Turkey that also features a temple to Artemis, the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt.
No grave goods or inscriptions were found. At the time, archaeologists believed that a young woman was laid to rest in the tomb.
They guessed that she was Arsinoë IV, who fought against her half-sister and Julius Caesar, leading the Siege of Alexandria in 48 to 47 B.C.
Arsinoë lost the battle and took refuge in the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Mark Antony ordered her execution in 41 B.C. when she was 22-years-old.
In a new study, a team of researchers reexamined the skull that was found nearly a century ago. The radiocarbon analysis of the remains revealed that the individual had died between 205 and 36 B.C., around the same time as Arsinoë’s death. However, the skeleton’s stage of development suggested that the individual was only 11 to 14 years old.
“But then came the big surprise,” said Gerhard Weber, the lead author of the study and a professor of evolutionary anthropology at the University of Vienna.
“In repeated tests, the skull and femur both clearly showed the presence of a Y chromosome—in other words, a male.”
The skull bones were thinner and more fragile than expected. When the researchers took a closer look at the skeleton, they observed deformities that had not been identified before.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
For example, one of the cranial sutures on the skull had already fused together, which usually does not happen until a person has surpassed the age of 65. Since the cranial suture had closed early, the boy’s skull became asymmetrical.
Furthermore, the skeleton contained an abnormally shaped upper jaw, with at least one tooth that showed no signs of wear.
Overall, both of these features suggest that the boy’s upper jaw did not function properly, and he possibly had a small lower jaw with abnormal alignment.
According to the researchers, these skull and jaw traits could be symptoms of a rare genetic disorder called Treacher-Collins syndrome (TCS).
The condition affects head and facial development, resulting in a small jaw, eyes that slant downward, and hearing and vision problems.
The research team tried to use genetic analysis to identify TCS in the boy, but the surviving DNA segments were not sufficient enough to prove it.
“What we can now say with certainty is that the person buried in the Octagon was not Arsinoë IV and the search for her remains should continue,” concluded the study authors.
The study was published in Scientific Reports.
More About:News