Inti Navia 
Apparently, a lot of men think about the ancient Roman Empire on an almost daily basis.
Starting from one little video on TikTok, this trend has quickly swept across the internet, taking the world by surprise. The hashtag #romanempire has already gotten over one billion views on the app. It’s simple: ask a man how often he thinks about the Roman Empire. The answer will surprise you.
Even though the Roman Empire died off 1,546 years ago to the month, even now, people are still thinking about it. I did polls on my social media platforms and also straight up asked my male friends: How often do you think about the Roman Empire? A. Often B. Sometimes C. Never .
Adding up all the answers I got, 10% answered C, 37% selected B, and 53% answered A.
Why do men think about the Roman Empire so much? @one_and_only_owen on TikTok praised the aqueducts and concrete of the Romans, because they were unparalleled in their time. He ended with, “Why wouldn’t I think about the Roman Empire on a daily basis?”
It’s much more simple for @amazonalex.0 ‘s friend on TikTok, who said he thinks about it almost every day “Cuz it’s cool.”
…Yeah, I also think about the Roman Empire often. In my defense, I not only think it’s cool, but also because I write a lot of fantasy, and Roman history is a big inspiration for me.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Mike Duncan, creator and host of the podcast “History of Rome” and author of the Roman Empire book “The Storm Before the Storm,” said that the reason people apparently obsess about the Romans so much is that it tends to be more male-heavy. “And I think a lot of it probably can come back to a Roman history becoming equivalent to military history, and military history is definitely something that is always going to be more of interest to men than women, just on a practical level.”
He continued, “The Roman Empire was also an incredibly patriarchal society. If you do dive into those sources, and you start reading about it, it can be fascinating, but everywhere you’re looking, you’re just talking about men doing this, and men doing that.”
This trend also reminds me of another one a few months ago, where people complimented the straight men in their life by telling them they would’ve done really well in the invasion of Normandy in World War II.
How often do you think about the Roman Empire? Let me know!
By Inti Navia, Freshman, Columbia College Chicago
All Platforms: @intinavia
True Star Media’s content is made possible thanks to donors like you. To support the voice and perspective of your youth, donate at truestarmedia.org/donate.
