Research in Graz

Mystery of Cleopatra’s sister’s tomb solved

Ephesus was the last known residence of Cleopatra's sister Arsinoë IV.

(Bild: ÖAW/ÖAI Niki Gail)

Two researchers from Graz were instrumental in identifying the skeleton of Arsinoë, the younger sister of Cleopatra and Queen of Cyprus. The findings, which are presented in a book, could be used to identify other mummies of the royal family in the future.

Cleopatra is still regarded today as a feminine symbol of power and strength and went down in history as the ruler of Egypt and a breathtaking beauty. Arsinoë IV was her younger sister and for a short time Queen of Cyprus. She also dreamed of taking power in Egypt. The two of them had ambition and ruthlessness in their blood, even within the family.

For a long time, scientists puzzled over who the skeleton of a 20-year-old woman buried more than 2000 years ago in an octagonal temple tomb at a prominent crossroads in Ephesus could be. Graz archaeologist Peter Scherrer and his colleague Ernst Rudolf were involved in solving this exciting case. "We always suspected that the remains in this tomb belonged to Arsinoë IV, the younger sister of the famous Cleopatra VII. The two women had different mothers but the same father," explains Scherrer.

Contract killing by his own sister
It was Gaius Julius Caesar himself who installed Arsinoë alongside her brother on the island of Cyprus, which Rome had seized by force, as the counter-queen to Cleopatra. A short time later, however, he changed his mind and backed the powerful Cleopatra. Arsinoë finally found asylum in Ephesus. This was also her last known place of residence before she was murdered on behalf of her power-hungry sister.

The tomb of Arsinoë in Ephesus

(Bild: Uni Graz Ernst Rudolf)

(Bild: Uni Graz)

Prominent tomb in Ephesus
At the beginning of the 20th century, archaeological excavations in Ephesus uncovered an "octagon", a unique octagonal mausoleum. In ancient times, burials within the city were actually forbidden for religious and hygienic reasons. Exceptions were made for special personalities. "The location of the tomb alone was sufficient evidence to assign the woman's mortal remains to a high social status," emphasizes Scherrer. The hypothesis that it was indeed Arsinoë IV was confirmed after Scherrer and his colleagues analyzed numerous historical sources from the period.

The young woman's skull was crucial for the clarification. It was removed from the burial chamber in 1929 and could not be found for a long time. At the end of 2022, at the request of the two Graz researchers, a skull from this period was found in the collection of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna and identified using old photos.

Book with research results
Without the skull, the skeleton, which had been almost obliterated by slope water, did not provide sufficient usable DNA. The researchers therefore pinned all their hopes on analyzing the skull. "If we succeed in decoding the DNA of Arsinoë IV, this will allow us to compare it with samples from other mummies or skeletons in Egypt. In this way, we might one day be able to identify the tomb of Cleopatra, the famous and influential queen, beyond doubt," Rudolf said optimistically.

The research findings of the two Graz scientists have resulted in a book, which will be presented on March 14 at 6 p.m. in the Ephesus Museum of the Neue Hofburg in Vienna, in the presence of Education Minister Martin Polaschek.