If someone were to ask you how often you think about the Roman Empire, what would you say?

A. Rarely

B. Once a month

C. A few times a week

D. Every day

According to a recent TikTok trend, men are more likely to admit to thinking about the Roman Empire at least a few times a week, if not every day! But why the sudden interest in Romans and the civilization they built? And what makes the Roman empire appealing to men? After coming from a blogging hibernation, it’s time for me to weigh in on these burning questions.

Read more: Why is the Roman Empire so popular?Why is it so popular?

So when did the Roman Empire start trending on social media? According to Know Your Meme the renewed interest in the Roman Empire can be credited to a post by a Swedish Instagram user, Saskia Cort who posted snapshots of messages from her followers asking the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire. As you can imagine, the post became viral. Fast forward to 2023, a recent Instagram reel helped the topic trend again. TikTok’s #RomanEmpire hashtag has reached an impressive 1.3 billion views, as per CBS News!

Did this interest in the Roman Empire come out of thin air? Initially, it might seem that way since social media giants like TikTok and Instagram have amplified our awareness of the Roman Empire. But the trend wouldn’t have taken off if there wasn’t already interest in the Romans. This interest is evident in the comments in the latest Instagram reel with over 56K likes where both men and women share their personal interest in the Romans or how their loved ones (mostly men) reacted when the topic came up.

To prove this point, I posed the same question to a group of close friends (mostly guys) how often do they think about the Roman Empire? Out of the eight guys in the group, four of us (including myself) thought about the Roman Empire “a lot.” My simple question springboarded into a lively discussion where we spouted off different facts about the Roman empire for over an hour.

The group chat with my friends reminded me of how the ancient Romans influenced us. Even though the Roman Empire lasted from 27 BCE to 476 AD, their legacy remains. Most of us have learned about the ancient Romans from our history textbooks. But it’s more than just “dead history.” Structures built by the ancient Romans from the cobblestone roads, the aqueducts, to the Colosseum are still standing today in parts of Europe particularly modern-day Rome.

The Romans have played a significant role in shaping the modern world. For example the name Palestine was a Latin corruption of Philistia. The Romans used that name after the Jews were expelled in the region to cement their power. Even though most don’t speak Latin it has shaped modern languages including English, Spanish, French, and Italian. But their influence extends beyond just language. They’ve influenced almost all aspects of modern life from government structures, architecture, pop culture, and even popular customs and holidays like Christmas!

Why do the Romans appeal to men?

Not every man thinks about the Roman Empire. Some may give little or no thought. Going back to my group chat, two of my guy friends thought little about the Roman Empire, unless it was referenced in other contexts (from the Bible). The three guys in the chat thought about the Roman Empire a lot, but none of the girls admitted to thinking about it. This got me even thinking… why does the Roman Empire appeal more to men?

Interests

Again, not all men will share the same interests. And the reasons why the Roman civilization appealed to men are going to vary from person to person. But from my own nuanced male perspective and personal observation about society in general, certain facts about the Romans are going to resonate more with a particular demographic based on their shared interests.

Architecture. The Romans were well known for architectural and engineering marvels. One example that stands out to me is the ancient bathhouse, which often housed a series of heated pools, a gymnasium, saunas, and even libraries! Considering the Romans didn’t have all the modern conveniences we enjoy they were definitely ahead of their time when it came to indoor plumbing and their use of concrete. But it didn’t stop with their public buildings. The network of roads they built connected their vast Empire and helped facilitate the movement of the military and goods reminiscent of our modern-day highways.

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These facts about ancient Rome would interest history buffs, especially those into architecture, engineering, or construction.. Considering the STEM fields tend to attract more men on average, it comes as no surprise that facts about Roman architectural achievements will resonate more with this demographic!

Pop Culture and Masculinity

Military. Another aspect of Roman culture that I think a lot of men resonate with is the militaristic prowess of Rome. Rome is well known for its powerful army that conquered numerous territories from modern-day Britain to the north to Northern Africa to the south.

When you think of a Roman, what first comes to your mind? Most would picture either a Roman soldier or an emperor. Our history books, documentaries, and popular movies largely focus on their military conquests. Considering that books and movies with action and military themes tend to be more popular among men, it’s no wonder movies like The Eagle that feature strong male leads would resonate more with men.

Entertainment. Speaking of movies, the Romans placed great emphasis on entertainment. In ancient Rome, people could go to the theater, watch chariot races, or see gladiatorial fights at the Colosseum.

Movies like Gladiator glamorized the gladiatorial games and even now the movie is an iconic part of pop culture. While our games/sports don’t end in a death match, the legacy of Roman sports and entertainment bleeds into the design of modern-day sports arenas. But it also influences what we find entertaining. Just like many Romans were avid fans of thrill-seeking and violent sports, high-risk or combat sports such as boxing or MMA have a predominantly male fanbase.

The fascination with the gladiatorial games has even inspired other popular books, including Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series. This series explores the dark side of reality TV, where youths are forced to fight to the death for entertainment. However, the Hunger Games offers a deeper commentary on the use of entertainment for punishment, drawing parallels to the historical practice of making slaves or prisoners fight as gladiators.

When it comes to understanding why the ancient Romans fascinates men, it may go deeper beyond than just learning arbitrary facts. Could we be drawn to the ancient Romans because of their pragmatic, strategic mindset? Or is it because of their brute power and dominance, which is linked heavily to masculinity? Again, the stereotypical male psyche of being logic-driven or more assertive aligns with the impression we have about the Romans. So naturally we’re drawn to traits or attributes we admire or aspire to be like.

For me, it’s not about how many battles they won or lost, but their innovation in technology and facts about daily living that interest me the most about the Romans. It’s those things I tend to do the most research on because learning about different cultures intrigues me.

So for those responsible for keeping the Romans trending, thank you. If anything, social media is the catalyst in getting others to notice and talk about the Romans even if they were never fans. And for a writer with books based in the Roman era, it’s a good feeling to know there is still an audience for the stories I create.

Who knows, maybe after reading this blog post you’ll be thinking about the Roman Empire a lot more!

Let me know how much you think about the Roman Empire by taking the poll below!