Scientists investigating the death of a man found buried at the back of a betting shop in Naas, Co Kildare, believe that he may have been the victim of medieval "frenzied attack syndrome".
The man, whose body was discovered during excavations at the betting shop in Abbey Street, Naas in 1995, was between 20 and 30 years old, and had at least seven wounds to the head.
The scientists believe the man was killed with a sharp instrument, possibly a knife or a sword. During the attack his ear was cut off, either as an accidental side effect of a frenzied attack or deliberately removed as a trophy of war.
The scientists, Ms Laureen Buckley and Mr Martin Reid, believe that the killing occurred in the late 13th century or the early 14th century.
Full details of the case will be published shortly in the Journal of the Co Kildare Archaeological Society. The body was uncovered during renovations at the betting shop.
According to Mr Victor Buckley of Duchas, the Heritage Service, human skeletal remains are being uncovered on an almost daily basis in the Republic because of work associated with the expansion of the economy.
"There is an enormous amount of building work and road workings being undertaken and finds are being reported to us and the National Museum," he said.
He said the potential for the retrieval of information from a skeleton starts to decrease as soon as excavation begins.
But careful treatment of excavated bone before it reaches the laboratory can help maximise the information that can be obtained.
This has led to the compilation of a special booklet for archaeologists on how to deal with human remains when they are discovered on sites.
The guidelines are drawn up by the human osteoarchaeology subcommittee of the Irish Association of Professional Archaeologists. The booklet will be formally launched today.
The booklet sets out the legal situation governing the discovery, retrieval and curation of human remains, which differs between Northern Ireland and the Republic.