However, recent analysis reveals the remains actually belonged to a young boy, overturning the long-held speculation.
The archaeologists found a complete skeleton, and Keil took its skull.
Keil suggested that the burial had belonged to an important individual, likely a young woman.
The cranium retrieved from the Octagon.© Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-83870-x
We now know that it did not.
He clearly suffered from developmental disorders, including a deformed cranium and an underdeveloped upper jaw.
The researchers are still unsure what could have caused the growth disorders.
The researchers speculate that the boy may have been a Roman living in Ephesos.
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Apparently, it did not.
