Laois bog body dates back to 2000 BC
New tests on the remains of a preserved body found in a County Laois bog have revealed that it may date back as far as 2000 BC.
The body was found by a worker from utility company Bord na Móna milling peat in 2011.
It was initially believed that the remains were those of a young female and were around 2,500 years old.
However, a series of recent tests have revealed that it is the body of a male, which dates back as far as 2000 BC.
The chemical makeup of bogs can preserve human bodies for thousands of years.
Older bog bodies have been discovered elsewhere but none as mummified or as well preserved as this example.
Archaelogists said the body which is believed to be a member of historic royalty, was almost certainly put to the sword by his own people.
The body is missing its head, which has never been recovered.