If you think the Roman Empire was so 1,600 years ago, think again.
It turns out that the Roman Empire—with its coliseums, chariots, and Julius Caesar—is still on the minds of many men.
Thanks to a new TikTok trend, women are asking their boyfriends how often they think about the Roman Empire. The answer: all the time.
In a TikTok with over 3.5 million views by Thursday, Ashley Lance (@idkhowyoufoundme) asks her boyfriend, “How many times, like a week, or just how many times in general, do you think about the Roman Empire?”
@idkhowyoufoundme he got so defensive😭😭 once a week is insane
♬ original sound – ashley lance
At first, her boyfriend looks confused. “What about the Roman Empire?” he asks.
“Just think about it,” Lance insists.
Her boyfriend responds, “Not a lot.”
When he’s pressed further, though, he admits he last thought about the Roman Empire “a week or two ago” and thinks about the historical period “maybe three or four times a month.”
He’s not alone. Hannah Godwin (@hannahg11) posted a TikTok in which she asked her husband a similar question. By Thursday, the video had over 2 million views.
@hannahg11 This is so interesting to me??
♬ original sound – Hannah Godwin
“I asked how much my husband thinks about the Roman Empire thinking he would say never,” Godwin wrote in the video’s text overlay.
“I mean, as a thought popped into my head? Yeah, once a week,” her husband responds, shrugging.
Godwin laughs behind the camera. “I’ve never once thought about it once in my life,” she says.
“It’s like random guy stuff,” her husband explains. “Like, oh, like, gladiator.”
Users inspired by the trend asked their boyfriends the same question.
“Mine said never and then immediately launched into a 20 min rant about it with factoids and supporting proof like he was giving a presentation,” one user commented on Godwin’s video.
Another commented on Lance’s video, “I just asked my bf the same thing and he said PROBABLY ONCE A DAY WHy?”
Women on TikTok are wondering why it seems to be mostly men who are taking so much interest in this period of history.
User @delara.esq explains in a TikTok that she polled several of her guy friends to try to figure out why this pattern exists.
@delara.esq im no psychologist, just my 2 cents
♬ original sound – Delara
“At least half said daily, which was shocking to me because who’s thinking about the Roman Empire daily?” she says.
But she explains that men weren’t just randomly thinking about ancient Rome. Delara found that men thought about the time period as an inspiration for strong leadership.
“They’re really thinking about it in terms of love, war, strategy, betrayal, like themes like that, that could be present in our day-to-day lives,” Delara says.
She theorizes that the men she polled are obsessed with Julius Caesar or the “rulers of Rome” because they are the “go-getter type.”
“Next time you’re questioning, ‘Ugh, what is he thinking about?’ He’s probably thinking about the Roman Empire,” Delara says.
The Daily Dot contacted Lance, Godwin, and Delara for comments via Instagram direct message.
