If you thought vampires were simply the stuff of myth and legend - and perhaps the odd teen horror film - think again.
Archaeologists in Bulgaria have found two medieval skeletons pierced through the chest with iron rods to supposedly stop them from turning into vampires.
According to pagan beliefs, people who were considered bad during their lifetimes might turn into vampires after death unless stabbed in the chest with an iron or wooden rod before being buried.
Bozhidar Dimitrov, the head of the national history museum, discovered the remains in the town of Sozopol, which is located near the Black Sea. Regarding the discovery, Dimitrov explained, “These two skeletons stabbed with rods illustrate a practice which was common in some Bulgarian villages up until the first decade 
of the 20th century.”
of the 20th century.”
The practice was common, Dimitrov added, saying some 100 similar burials had already been found in Bulgaria.
According to him, 'vampires' were often aristocrats and clerics. He added: 'The curious thing is that there are no women among them. They were not afraid of witches.'
However last month Italian researchers discovered what they believed to be the remains of a female 'vampire' in Venice - buried with a brick jammed between her jaws to prevent her feeding on victims of a plague which swept the city in the 16th century.
The skeleton was unearthed in a mass grave from the Venetian plague of 1576 - in which the artist Titian died - on Lazzaretto Nuovo, which lies around two miles northeast of Venice and was used as a sanitorium for plague sufferers.
According to him, 'vampires' were often aristocrats and clerics. He added: 'The curious thing is that there are no women among them. They were not afraid of witches.'
However last month Italian researchers discovered what they believed to be the remains of a female 'vampire' in Venice - buried with a brick jammed between her jaws to prevent her feeding on victims of a plague which swept the city in the 16th century.
The skeleton was unearthed in a mass grave from the Venetian plague of 1576 - in which the artist Titian died - on Lazzaretto Nuovo, which lies around two miles northeast of Venice and was used as a sanitorium for plague sufferers.
Archaeologist Petar Balabanov, who in 2004 unearthed six nailed-down skeletons at a site near the eastern town of Debelt, said the pagan rite was also practiced in neighbouring Serbia and other Balkan countries.
Vampire legends form an important part of the region's folklore. The most famous tale is that of Romanian count Vlad the Impaler, known as Dracula, who staked his war enemies and drank their blood.
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