„How often do men think of the Roman Empire“ is a TikTok trend that became popular in September 2023.
The meme works as follows: A partner, brother, father, or mainly a man is filmed reacting to the question of how often he thinks of the Roman Empire. Here – so the videos give the impression – men think of the Roman Empire quite often. But why?
How often do men think of the Roman Empire? Explanation memes, meaning, origin
The portrayal of the Roman Empire in the media and especially in movies is quite positive. Everyone probably knows the movie Gladiator. Everyone has also heard of „Ben Hur“ and the Asterix movies should also be known.
In 4X computer games / video games, the Roman Empire is often a theme when it comes to military, expansion and battle. These are, for example, the following games: Total War, Civilization, Cesar III, The Settlers, Age of Empires and Emperor.
The Roman Empire was considered advanced, expansive and successful. The Romans are known for impressive buildings such as the Colosseum, the Forum, equaducts and temples. They are known (and infamous) for their military, their legionaries, and their formations (most notably the turtle formation). When you think of the Roman Empire, you think of Ceasar, Nero, Hannibal, Pontius Pilate and gladiator fights.
Men recreate the Colosseum in Minecraft.
Origin of How often do men think of the Roman Empire?
The „how often do men think of the Roman Empire“ trend may have been started by TikTok user gaiusflavius. He a Swedish content creator who thematizes the Roman Empire in his videos. He answers questions about the Roman Empire, he does reenactment and also publishes skit videos about the Roman Empire. Yes, he even creates memes to and about the Roman Empire.
On August 19, 2023, gaiusflavius published a post on his Instagram account in which he commented on how most women have no idea how often men think about the Roman Empire. He urged his female readers to ask their partner, friend, father or brother because the answer will surprise them. (The Instagram post has received over 55,000 likes as of September 22).
On TikTok, he published the same post on September 13, 2023.
TikTok: gaiusflavius
Instagram: gaiusflavius
But, why do men think of the Roman Empire now? Explanation, reasons
There are several reasons why men think about the Roman Empire more often.
Interest in history: they are interested in history. They are interested in empires, past empires and societies. After all, the influence of the Romans can still be felt today.
Interest in military strategy: The military was a central part of the Roman Empire. Legionaries are familiar to everyone and some battles everyone can name. (E.g. the Varus battle has special meaning the Germans and the history of the Teutons).
Interest in culture: Think of as the statues and art objects created by the people of this empire.
Interest in architecture: Some buildings of the Romans already survive 2,000 years. That’s impressive. The Romans had a cement that in some cases lasts better and longer than the modern cement used in 20th/21st century construction.
Popular culture: The Roman Empire is the subject of many books and films. The movies Gladiator, Ben Hur and the Life of Brian all deal with the Roman Empire.
Projection: for some men, the Roman Empire represents masculinity, power, aggression, struggle, and defense. (Think gladiators and the Roman Army.) An interest in the Roman Empire may indicate that they lack these qualities in their own lives or society.
Self-Perception / Image of Masculinity: Also, an increased interest in the Roman Empire may represent a desire to be more masculine, trained, and aggressive.
Escapism: The present is full of problems and impending catastrophes. A look into the past can distract from this. Because things were supposedly different back then.
However, the Roman Empire is seen in a very positive light and idealized. But the Romans could also be very brutal. In the punitive measure of decimation, one of ten soldiers was chosen by lot to be killed by the other nine. Who, please, kills his comrade!?
In families in the Roman Empire, the head of the family decided whether a newborn was kept and cared for or abandoned. That must have been horrible for the mothers.
Comment: Now that the meme has become more popular, men will probably still say as a joke that they think of the Roman Empire quite often.
More on How often do men think of the Roman Empire?
The hashtag #romanempire has been used over a billion times on TikTok.