Night at the Museum
By Dionne Teo
Night at the Museum is a film set in the Museum of Natural History and combines many various aspects of history into 108 minutes of screen time. It not only draws in the attention of viewers by incorporating a comedic element into introducing historical figures and artifacts but also conveys the information in bite-sized portions that allow for easier takeaways by the viewer.
However, this film is only suitable to be used as an exaggerated representation of history. This is because various aspects of the film, while interesting, makes use of fictional characters and artifacts. For example, a prime figure used in telling the story of Night at the Museum was an Egyptian King called Akmenrah, who had a special artifact, the Tablet of Akmenrah that brings all the museum exhibits to life. Upon further research, it has been found that the king and his tablet do not actually exist in history but was created for the purpose of the film. As such, they may have been utilised to represent the standing of social classes between caste systems in Egypt. In reality, Egyptian royalty was held in high regard and were revered as Gods. Thus, the depiction in the film serves to illustrate that.
Part of the film focused on the interactions between the protagonist and a particular group known as the Huns. This sparked some curiosity and led to deeper research into who the Huns were as a civilisation, their cultures as well as their beliefs. Therefore, this article will discuss the background and certain practices of the Huns, as well as provide an analysis by comparing the portrayal of these features between history and films.
Who were the Huns?
The Huns were a nomadic tribe prominent during the 4th and 5th century CE. They originated in China and Inner Mongolia, before settling around the area of Northern Europe and Asia (Mayall, Pilbrow & Bitadze, 2017). They were fierce and formidable warriors in their time, reaching their peak of power in the West during 350 CE to 470 CE (International Military and Defense Encyclopedia, 1993).
The Hunnic people primarily contributed to the Roman Empire’s downfall. At their prominence, they invaded several regions around Rome. These invasions ultimately encouraged the Great Migration, where resettling of groups such as the Alans, Goths, and Vandals, disrupted the order of the Roman society. This hence caused the weakening of the Roman Empire (Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2018).
Although they did not possess huge collections of weaponry, the Huns compensated with capable, well-developed combat skills, speed, bravery, and “notorious savagery and superb horsemanship” (Historic World Leaders, 1994). The Hunnic people also tended to travel around in “packs”, especially in battle. In a way, this showed a certain form of group camaraderie among the Huns and thus could be reflective of their nature and culture as a civilisation.
The Huns and Attila
Tribes like the Huns were usually represented by their leader. In this case, it was Attila the Hun, who was a significant ruler of the Hunnic Empire, although only for a short amount of time between 430 CE to 453 CE. He was considered one of the most successful barbarian rulers, targeting and attacking various areas within Eastern and Western Rome (McGill University, n.d.). Attila and his brother, Bleda, were named co-rulers of the Huns in 434 CE. However, driven by his ambition to be the only leader, Attila commanded the murder of Bleda 445 CE, and thus succeeded in becoming the sole ruler of the Hunnic people (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 1998).
Bust of Attila the Hun. 2013. Richard Juha
While known to rule for the good of his people, Attila was also aggressive and ruthless. Known throughout history as the “Scourge of God”, he terrorised and controlled many tribes, as well as devastated lands from Gaul to the Black Sea which incited fear throughout the Roman Empire (McGill University, n.d.). He also demanded annual tributes of gold as a form of a peace treaty from the Romans, and in exchange, he agreed not to attack their territories. These stringent measures could be the reason why in his 20 years of power, Attila was only defeated once (International Museum of the Horse, n.d.). Hence, under Attila’s rule, the Hunnic people became a force to be reckoned with.
Despite his reputation, no actual portrait of Attila has been known to exist. He was, however, commonly described as a man of short stature, a height considered normal for a Hun at that time. He had a snub nose, small eyes, and an unsettling stare that frightened most of whom he looked at. Furthermore, a historian, Priscus, who had met Attila in 449, relayed that Attila had a beard which was "sprinkled with gray" (Historic World Leaders, 1994).
Attila the Hun as seen in the film ‘Night at the Museum’
Delving into the purpose of the film, questions may arise as to why the director of the film chose to portray the Huns and especially Attila, in this way. Historically, The Huns were often portrayed as strong and ruthless, with Attila being known for his strength and merciless attitude in battle. Yet in the film, there is a scene where Attila breaks down crying on the protagonist’s shoulder. This portrayal of Attila serves to show that even the strongest and most ruthless individual have a vulnerable side to them. Thus, this possibly shows that the production team not only had the intention of portraying the Huns from a new perspective but also to make them more relatable to the audience.
Special Traditions and Beliefs
A feature discovered about the Hunnic people was that they practiced the act of artificial cranial deformation, also known as skull modification. Skull modification was brought into central Europe by the Huns and is achieved by binding the head, using various materials, during early childhood when the bones of the skull are still soft. By the age of three to five years, the bones of the skull would have fused sufficiently for the cranial deformation to be permanent (Hakenbeck, 2009). This was commonly practiced among the Huns and may be interpreted as being closely related to beliefs of proper child-care, health, and beauty.
Furthermore, modified heads serve as strong physical signifiers of certain social identities granted on the Hunnic population. The style and frequency of modification may provide insights into the Hun’s “social status, migration patterns, boundaries between social groups and changing social identities with time” (Mayall, Pilbrow & Bitadze, 2017).
Modified skull found in Hunnic Gravesite circa 400 C.E. University of Cambridge, London.
Conclusion
Even though certain elements mentioned may have been proven to be fictional or used in exaggeration, aspects of the film such as the depiction of the Huns and Attila can still shed a light on the characteristics of their civilisation. Hence, Night at the Museum is still a film worth considering.
References
Encyclopedia of World Biography. “Attila”. 1998. Gale World History in Context. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631000324/WHIC?u=sunybuff_main&sid=WHIC&xid=be2cc7db
Hakenbeck, S. ‘Hunnic’ Modified Skulls: Physical Appearance, Identity and the Transformative Nature of Migrations.2009. Exeter University Press: Mortuary Practices and Social Identities in the Middle Ages pp 64-80. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/243380/Hunnic_modified_skulls_physical_appearance_identity_and_the_transformative_nature_of_migrations
Historic World Leaders. “Attila”. 1994. Gale World History in Context. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1616000071/WHICu=sunybuff_main&sid=WHIC&xid=68947d85
Hungarian Natural History Museum Budapest. Modified Skull found in Hunnic Gravesite. c. 400 C.E. University of Cambridge. Retrieved from https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/tiller-the-hun-farmers-in-roman-empire-converted-to-hun-lifestyle-and-vice-versa
International Military and Defense Encyclopedia. “Attila the Hun”. 1993. Gale World History in Context. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2342200069/WHIC?u=sunybuff_main&sid=WHIC&xid=99aa7313
International Museum of the Horse. “Attila”. n.d. Retrieved from http://imh.org/exhibits/online/legacy-of-the-horse/attila-hun-406-453-ad/index.htm
Mark, J. “Huns”. 2018. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Huns/
Mayall, P., Pilbrow V. & Bitadze, L. “Migrating Huns and Modified Heads: Eigenshape Analysis Comparing Intentionally Modified Crania from Hungary and Georgia in the Migration Period of Europe”. 2017. PLoS ONE 12(2): e0171064. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0171064
McGill University. “Attila the Hun”. n.d. Retrieved from https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/a/Attila_the_Hun.htm
Richard Juha. Bust of Attila the Hun. 2013. Wikipedia Commons. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Attila_mellszobor.jpg