Was the mummy’s Anuk-Sun-Amun a real person?

The mummy’s Anck-su-namun was a real historical figure in ancient Egypt called Ankhesenamun, but she was very different from her on-screen counterpart.

In the 1999s The Mummy, Egyptian concubine Anck-su-namun (Patricia Velasquez) plays a key role as a character motivation for villain Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), but it’s unclear if she was a real person in ancient Egypt. Imhotep’s curse wreaks havoc The Mummy as he sets out to revive Anck-su-namun since they were lovers while he was alive. Just like Imhotep, her character is based on true Egyptian history, but not in the way the film portrays it.

In reality, Anck-su-namun was an Egyptian princess, not a concubine. Her name was Ankhesenamun, she was the daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti and later married Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Contrary to Anck-su-namun in The Mummyshe lived in the middle of the 14th century B.C. while Imhotep in the 27th century B.C. lived. Despite being real, she could never have met Imhotep, let alone fall in love with him.

Related:Was the mummy’s Imhotep a real person?

How the mummy mixed history and Hollywood

When Universal Studios decided to remake the 1932 film The Mummy In the late 1980s, it took several treatments and scripts and about a decade to find the right writer and director in Stephen Sommers. Sommers made every effort to ensure that the ancient Egyptian culture was accurate, but since the film was a blockbuster adaptation of a 1930s film, he made no attempt to be historically accurate about the Egyptian historical figures used. Characters like Brendan Fraser mummy Protagonist Rick O’Connell was placed alongside historical figures such as Imhotep, who was real but adapted to the script’s function. As with many Hollywood films based on history, there is a mixture of truth and appearance The Mummy.

Why was the story of Anck-su-namun changed?

When Universal was looking for the right writer to write the 1999 screenplay The Mummy, they went through many treatments and scripts until they found the right fit. Some iterations were too dark and dramatic, or they just weren’t right for a blockbuster. Sommers was able to provide the character of Imhotep’s mummy with enough historical background – albeit incorrect – to create a compelling motivation and story for the mummy to justify his unleashing the curse. Sommers transformed Ankhesenamun into his own devious and ruthless character, and provides a plausible motivation for Imhotep.

Even if there isn’t much truth in the portrayal of Anck-su-namun The Mummy, she was still a true historical figure, albeit more in name than what audiences learn about her in the film. Both in film and in real life, Ankhesenamun was a powerful, influential woman in her day. Sommers used her character’s strength effectively to make her a key role The Mummy. While there was little historically accurate information about them The MummyAnkhesenamun really existed in ancient Egypt.

Next:Adding a son for Rick & Evie was the mother’s biggest mistake