But traces of real-life vampires—or at least the belief in real-life vampires—predate Stoker’s literary vision. Beginning in the early 2000s, archaeologists across Bulgaria unearthed skeletons of people believed to be vampires: six skeletons were discovered near Debelt, two were found in Sozopol; and another was uncovered in the ruins of Perperikon near the Greek border. The study draws an important distinction between these “real” vampires and “lifestyle” vampires, or people who adopt vampiristic behaviors common in pop culture (such as sleeping in coffins or wearing fangs).