Gladiators. Aqueducts. Emperors. What’s not to love about Ancient Rome? One movement that has hit the internet by storm in recent months has been the phenomenon of men thinking about the Roman Empire… a lot. On TikTok, the trend consists of women randomly asking the men in their lives, “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” The dude will respond with an amount ranging from daily to weekly, acting surprised when they learn that their girlfriend never thinks about the Roman Empire. Some men take it a step further, as one man pulled out the notes app on his phone, with a list of all of the Roman emperors and his opinions on them. Their given reason for thinking about the Roman Empire so much is typically the amount of history that occurred at the time, but there may be a better explanation.

The Roman Empire has its fair share of achievements. In fact, it contributed a lot of technology that impacts modern life. From the Romans’ works of art, roads, monuments, literature, theaters, and more, there are so many aspects of the Empire to dissect and examine. The remnants of this time and culture are not lost to history, since many are still standing. Today’s scientists believe that because Romans used building materials such as volcanic ash and rock, structures such as the Colosseum, nearly 2,000 years old, can still be seen today. Modern-day architects study ancient Roman buildings in hopes of mirroring their durability. The lasting influence of Ancient Rome can be seen throughout the world, not just in Italy. Traces of Roman architecture, for instance, can be found in Western culture. Modern-day sports stadiums derive their tiered seating and oval shape from Roman-style amphitheaters. 

Ancient Roman culture is documented much more than that of some other periods. The Romans kept very detailed written records at the time, which is why there is so much information on the Roman Empire. There are many stories from the Empire, with popular representations of them in countless books, movies, and even Netflix series. Information about the Roman Empire is easily accessible, and combined with the fact that the Roman Empire is a part of the curriculum at most schools in the US, it follows that the Roman Empire might be a common thought.

The Roman Empire clearly carries significance, but the question still remains of why men are thinking about it so much. One teen on TikTok reasoned that “guys have a natural desire for conquest and achieving things,” and that the Roman Empire is the epitome of this, adding that the Romans’ conquests are the “definition of masculinity.” The ideas of armies and battles may be very appealing and may connect to many dads getting really into World War II history. Some may have an idealized view of the Roman Empire’s male-dominated culture. In one TikTok, when asked why he thought about the Roman Empire so much, the boyfriend responded that he is reminded of the Roman Empire when he sees a “cool helmet” or something similar. Some men also might be exaggerating how much they think about the Roman Empire due to the trend. For instance, one TikTok made a parody of the trend in which the girl drilled her boyfriend, who claimed to never think about the Roman Empire, into learning about the Roman Empire for the video. 

Whatever the reason, the Roman Empire trend has become more and more of a phenomenon. Many people have sought to explain it, and women have attempted to find their gender’s version of the Roman Empire. The term “my Roman Empire” has gained traction when referencing something that one thinks about a lot. As the trend continues to grow more popular, there may be a more definitive answer to the question of why it came to be. In the meantime, the Roman Empire will continue to be pondered by men everywhere. 

Information retrieved from National Geographic and TikTok