“American?”: Traveler who didn’t know what happened in the Roman Colosseum sparks historical debate

A TikToker confessed that she found her visit to the Roman Colosseum depressing after learning of its purpose, and history buffs had notes. Some were shocked to find out that there was anyone who didn't know what happened in Rome's biggest entertainment venue, but others defended the traveler.

What happened at the Roman Colosseum?

Over the weekend, a TikTok video by @jolly_rencher gained more than 7.6 million views for its review of the Colosseum. Apparently, the OP knew little about the historic landmark before she started her vacation to Rome.

"I'm sorry, but being here was creepy as hell," the TikToker wrote over her footage. "I was miserable the entire time and begged to end the tour early."

"Yes I loved Italy but what went down in here... Nah."

What went down in there was pretty horrific. While it hosted shows of all kinds, the most famous were the gladiator contests that often pitted fighters against wild animals.

In between the big shows, it was common to send condemned criminals into the arena unarmed and naked to get torn apart by predators.

"As soon as they told me they were feeding mf’s to lions, I was done," the TikToker added.

The comments sparked a debate

Her surprise prompted a floor of unkind comments loudly wondering how she didn't know about these horrors until last week. Many think that this is common knowledge, while others claimed she should have researched the Colosseum before visiting.

"Girl, what did you THINK happened at the colosseum?" asked @maybemartink.

"Not hating when I say this girl, but I have never not looked something up before I visit it, especially not in a foreign country," claimed @ohhmissfortune.

Commenter @danielleocanha simply asked: "American?"

Others, however, rejected the idea that everyone needs to know everything about the places they go.

"I’m a history nerd, but that doesn’t mean that everyone that travels knows the history behind every single location," said @kamal_taylor123. "This comment section is weird."

"Knowing history doesn’t make you immune to human emotion," wrote @oliviaxrosee. "A lot of these comments feel more performative than informed."

The OP responded to the hate in a follow-up video, targeting those who took issue with her replying to nasty comments in particular.

"Clearly you're used to leaving comments on strangers' videos and just expecting them to never see it, never respond," she said.

"You are clearly too comfortable online."

The Daily Dot has reached out to @jolly_rencher for comment via TikTok.