Death in Rome Not Uncommon

The barracks are in plain view.The Coliseum in Rome is a very interesting place to visit. Stories and movies never quite capture its true essence. When I went there in sixth grade, I had a firm preconceived notion that the coliseum was going to be just like the Russell Crowe film, Gladiator. The movie portrays the coliseum as a massive structure in every respect; however, upon entering the coliseum and seeing it for what it truly was I found it not so gargantuan. Of course the coliseum is not a small piece of architecture, but is nonetheless smaller than our preconceptions may lead us to believe. The smallest part of the coliseum is, of course, the floor. While I was expecting something grander, the sandy floor of the coliseum is rather dwarfish. In retrospect, I suppose it makes sense that the floor would be small; people in the past were usually shorter than people in the present and if the floor were larger it would likely encourage more gladiators to hug the walls than to engage in death-dealing. Furthermore, having a small floor allows for a larger space for audience members, which speaks to the true nature of the coliseum: entertainment. Regardless of its size, the coliseum floor is a powerful place to be given that countless live were taken upon it.
The film Gladiator further skewed my conception of the coliseum for the barracks were much, much smaller than the film portrayed them and much more maze like. The film shows the gladiators pre-combat in large rooms with tables and high ceilinged entry halls to the coliseum floor. In fact, the barracks in the coliseum are more like a maze or a coiling network of low ceilinged tunnels. I would not be surprised if many gladiators hit their heads on the barrack roofs as part of their routine.
The most interesting note that I discovered while at the coliseum was designed to be water-tight to a certain extent. During special occasions, the coliseum floor would be flooded such that small boats could paddle about in the water. This was done to commemorate past Roman naval successes against the Carthaginians. It seems the idea of a battle reenactment is no new concept.
Given that so many lives met their end at the coliseum, it seems very fitting that in Henry James’ Daisy Miller that Daisy Miller catches a life ending ailment after visiting it. Granted, in the context of the story Daisy’s death is an ironic twist that completely ends the story’s conflict, it is simultaneously historically correct to have her die almost immediately after visiting the coliseum. In this way, Henry James does an excellent job of creating believable irony, giving the story a strong sense of realism. However, the notion that death awaits those who visit the coliseum should not discourage people from visiting it anyway because it is a very interesting place to explore. The coliseum is undeniably authentic given the structure’s history, for whose death can truly be considered false or otherwise unauthentic?