‘Vampire dead’ come to light

Bulgarian archaeologists have unearthed ancient skeletons pinned through their chests with iron rods – a practice believed to stop the dead becoming vampires

According to Bozhidar Dimitrov, head of the National History Museum in Sofia, two such skeletons from the Middle Ages were found last weekend near the Black Sea town of Sozopol.

He said corpses were regularly treated in such a way before being buried in some parts of Bulgaria, even until the beginning of the last century.

Iron rods were hammered through the chest bones and hearts of evildoers for fear they would return to drink blood.