TikTok Roman Empire viral trend explained - how often do men think about it? What’s the female equivalent?

As you’ve been scrolling through your TikTok feed these last few days, you may have noticed lots of videos of men discussing how often they think about the Roman Empire.

No, it’s not a euphemism, men really are talking about how often the Roman Empire - the post-Republican state of ancient Rome from around 27 BC–AD 395, crosses their mind. Unsurprisingly, the trend itself and the men’s responses to it have been causing lots of confusion from TikTok users.

It’s not the first time people have been left baffled by a viral trend either, and it certainly won’t be the last. Some recent notable examples include the Jasper the doll trend, the eating oranges in the shower trend and the Zepotha horror film trend.

But, if you’re still left scratching your head about it, don’t worry, NationalWorld is here to explain everything you need to know about it. Keep reading to find out more.

What is the Roman Empire TikTok trend?

The trend is literally men talking on video about how often they think about the Roman Empire.

Women have also been getting involved by asking their husbands, boyfriends, brothers, uncles, nephews, cousins, dads and sons the question, and then recording their response and uploading the video to social media.

Clearly, it’s a very popular topic of thought among males as videos with the hashtag #RomanEmpire have 1.2 billion views on the site. Videos vary from men explaining why they love the subject of the Roman Empire, to the things that trigger thoughts about it in their mind, to calling their friends to ask if they think about it as much as they do.

It’s not just members of the public who are enjoying questioning the topic either, celebrities and famous faces are also discussing the viral topic.

How often do men think about the Roman Empire?

This is the question on everyone’s lips, it seems, and the question that the trend aims to solve. The answer, overall, is a lot. Some men say they think about it multiple times a day, while others say they think about it every three or four days. One man, who was extremely specific in his answer, even said he thought about it every seven hours.

Australian singer Firerose asked her fiance, Billy Ray Cyrus, father of singer Miley Cyrus, the question and was shocked when he said: “15 to 20, max,” Cyrus went on to specify that he thinks about gladiators. 

Singer and actress Kira Kosarin also participated in the trend, posting a video showing her fiance saying that he thinks about the Roman Empire “three times a day”, adding there’s “so much to think about.”

NationalWorld’s very own early editor, Tom Morton, realised that he “can’t stop thinking about the Roman Empire” when his other half asked him the question.

One man who told his perplexed partner that he thinks about the Roman Empire “at least once a week” was equally shocked to learn that she doesn’t think about it, asking her “how can you not think about the Roman Empire?” Another man justified the fact that he thinks about the subject once a week by saying “the Roman Empire is a very important part of history”. Another, who said he thought about it “a lot” broke into a big grin when his partner mentioned the topic.

There’s always exceptions to the rule, however, When Actress and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna got involved with the trend and asked her husband, actor Harry Hamlin, the question he appeared to be a little confused and his answer was “not very often. Maybe a couple times a year.”

Is it just men who think about the Roman Empire?

The trend would have you believe that it’s just men who think about the Roman Empire. It does seem that in the majority of videos, if the man turns the question back on the woman asking him she will say “not at all”.

One female TikToker offered an explanation for this when she said: “I think our brains are just too busy going non-stop with our daily task to think about something like the Roman Empire.”

What is the female equivalent of the Roman Empire trend?

The trend has prompted another TikTok user, known as Emmy, to ask the question ‘what is the female equivalent?’, however. She posted a video to her page, which then also went viral, asking users to comment on what is “something random that we all think about on a regular basis that is female specific".

She then revealed in a follow-up video that the most common responses included the Titanic, Princess Diana, how often you think of your ex-best friend, and lots of other film-based references.

Where has the Roman Empire trend come from?

The trend may have first been created by Roman reenactor  Artur Hulu, known as “Gaius Flavius” on social media. He is known for posting comedy sketches as a gladiator, as reported by the Washington Post. The influencer first posed the viral question on his Instagram page last month, and more recently on his TikTok page last week. He wrote: “Ladies, many of you do not realise how often men think about the Roman Empire. Ask your husband/boyfriend/father/brother - you will be surprised by their answers!”