A lot of women are learning strange facts about their boyfriends and husbands this week, thanks to a viral trend that is exposing the fact that many men are constantly preoccupied with thinking about the Roman Empire.
Back on Sept. 5, Rev. Kelsey Lewis Vincent pointed out in a viral post on that platform formerly known as Twitter that she had seen an Instagram Reel that claimed women do not realize how often men are thinking about the Roman Empire.
So, she says, she asked her husband how often he thinks about the Roman Empire. “And without missing a beat he said, ‘Every day,'” she wrote.
I saw an IG Reel that said something along the lines of “women have no idea how often the men in their lives think about the Roman Empire.”
So I asked my husband: “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?”
And without missing a beat he said “Every day.”
YALL! Why!?
— Rev. Kelsey Lewis Vincent (@KelseyMLoo) September 6, 2023
Though there were some overlapping periods, the Roman Empire is generally considered to span from the fall of the Roman Republic in 27 BC through the abdication of Romulus Augustulus in AD 476. The period is a staple of history classes, pop culture, gaming, art, philosophy, and more, so it’s no surprise that it’s embedded in our collective consciousness. But still, every day?
But as the intel began to spread, women began testing out the theory on the men in their lives this week. And indeed, many of them were shocked to learn that their boyfriends and husbands think about the Roman Empire at least once a week, as you can see from some of the many results posted to TikTok.
@listenwithbritt #stitch with @HapaGirl learning new things after 13 years. #romanempire #husband #trend
@hannahg11 This is so interesting to me??
After learning this tidbit about her own husband, one user tongue-in-cheek pointed out that when you’re not carrying the mental load of the family, you probably have “a lot of space” for the Roman Empire.
@ifitwerentfunny I have been married to this man for 6 years and I never would have guessed this. #wivesoftiktok #husband #marriagecomedy #romanempire
On the other hand, plenty of other men didn’t even need the prompt, and came forward with the admission completely on their own volition. “The truth is I actually do think about the Roman Empire with some frequency,” admitted podcaster Matthew Sitman.
Just out here doing my daily thinking of the Roman Empire and my favorite plane. pic.twitter.com/tKBGfjyUxW
— Old Hollow Tree (@OldHollowTree) September 14, 2023
I think about the Roman Empire daily pic.twitter.com/AwOF4l9GGV
— 🌴 Josh Lekach 🌴 (@JoshLekach) September 12, 2023
And as the trend began to snowball into a meme, others wondered if there was an equivalent of “the Roman Empire” for women.
The Roman Empire is for boys the Salem Witch Trials are for girls.
— Doth (@DothTheDoth) September 14, 2023
The Roman Empire is for boys, the Byzantine Empire is for women
— Gabriella Paiella (@GMPaiella) September 14, 2023
boys think about the roman empire girls think about pic.twitter.com/tA6oRUzETw
— bettina (@bettinamak) September 14, 2023
Well, while the average woman may be in the dark, clearly Hollywood knows what’s up, as the Roman Empire has always been a popular subject of blockbuster films. Not to mention, the long-awaited release of Gladiator 2 in November of next year should ensure that the period of ancient history continues to take up plenty of real estate in men’s brains.
