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The body was found in a peat bog - a wetland environment which
can aid preservation of organic matter - in the village of
Bellaghy after police archaeologists were alerted in October to
the presence of human bones on the surface.
Detective Inspector Nikki Deehan said on Thursday police were
initially unsure whether the remains were ancient or the result
of a more recent death, but radiocarbon dating showed the time
of death was between 2,000-2,500 years ago.
Other so-called "bog bodies" - the naturally preserved remains
of long-deceased humans found in peat bogs - have been recovered
and studied over the years, most commonly from Northern Europe.
"This is the first time radiocarbon dating has been used on a
bog body in Northern Ireland, and the only one to still exist,
making this a truly unique archaeological discovery for Northern
Ireland," Deehan said.
The excavations uncovered a tibia and fibula and a humerus, ulna
and radius bone, belonging to the left leg and right arm
possibly of a male aged between 13-17 at the time of death,
police said, adding little is known so far about how the
individual died.
The skeleton also had the presence of partial skin, fingernails,
toenails and possibly a kidney.
John Joe O'Boyle, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland's Forest
Service, called the discovery a "very exciting find" and said
the body would be transferred to the museum service for further
examination and preservation.
"It certainly adds an important chapter to the historical and
cultural significance of this hinterland and archaeological
discoveries of bog bodies across Europe," O'Boyle said.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James)
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