Ever noticed how your feed is suddenly filled with toga-clad memes and legionnaire jokes? Well, you’re not alone. The internet seems to have time-traveled back a couple of millennia for no apparent reason.
You might be wondering why your buddy, who can’t even remember his wedding anniversary, can vividly recall the Battle of Actium. It’s a strange world we live in, folks.
The Roman Empire – a topic typically reserved for history buffs and Latin teachers – has suddenly become the talk of the town, or rather, the talk of the timeline. But why is this ancient civilization making a modern-day comeback? Are we just bored, or is there something more to this unexpected trend?
The Roman Empire trend actually began last year in 2022, when Swedish influencer Saskia Cort asked her partner how often he thought about the Roman Empire. The trend spread across borders as more women started asking men in their lives the same question. A year later, the trend resurfaced again after the consensus stated that men think about the Roman Empire more often than you can imagine.
What’s the Deal with This Roman Empire Trend?
In short, the Roman Empire trend is all about people, especially women, asking the men in their lives how often they think about this ancient civilization. And the answers? They’re more frequent than you’d expect. It’s like discovering your neighbor secretly breeds unicorns in his backyard – unexpected, bizarre, but strangely fascinating.
When In Rome… Talk About Rome?
But let’s dive deeper. What’s really behind this surge in Roman reminiscing? It all started with a seemingly innocent question: “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” This was posed by Swedish influencer Saskia Cort to her partner, sparking a wildfire of curiosity across social media.
Swedish Roman reenactor Gaius Flavius tossed more fuel into the fire with his viral reel, urging women to ask the men around them about their thoughts on the Roman Empire. The responses ranged from “occasionally” to “daily,” and the internet couldn’t get enough.
The Roman Empire: A Man’s Obsession or a Social Media Phenomenon?
The trend’s popularity stems from its sheer absurdity and the seemingly vast conspiracy of men’s hidden fascination with Roman history. It’s like finding out your dad secretly knows all the lyrics to every Britney Spears song.
Unexpected, yet somehow, it makes sense. A TikTok compilation of the trend’s highlights has already hit over 8 million views, and the hashtags #romanempire and #romanempirememe are soaring with 1.2 billion and 10.5 million views, respectively. Meanwhile, the term’ Roman Empire’ has dominated the search results, surging over 700% in the last few days.
But why the Roman Empire? It’s not just random; it taps into a deeper stereotype.
You see, it’s not just men, but as humans, we all need an agency that validates our innermost feelings. The Jungian theory of persona, ego, and shadow juxtaposes the many fantasies humans harbor in their minds.
Unsurprisingly enough, men have a quite predictable voyeurism of power, influence, kingship, brotherhood, women, battles, and more. Roman Empire encapsulates all these factors.
Men, especially older ones, are often drawn to historical battles and figures like Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great. It’s a stark contrast to today’s sedentary lifestyle, where the most significant risk is a sore back from too much Wikipedia surfing.
What does it say about us, our culture, or perhaps our need for connection with the past? Are we just latching onto a quirky trend, or is there a deeper, unspoken yearning for the days of empire and conquest?
Does the Roman Empire trend reveal more about our collective psyche or just our ability to turn anything into a meme? And most importantly, how often do YOU think about the Roman Empire? Share and comment, and let’s keep this historical humor going!
