It seems men can't stop thinking about the Roman Empire—or at least that's what the latest social media craze suggests. Over 1 billion people have viewed a TikTok video with the hashtag #RomanEmpire, encouraging women to ask the men in their lives how often they think about the subject—and it's shockingly often. Elon Musk, not one lately to let a viral conversation go uncommented upon, even tweeted recently about "late-stage civilization vibes." If it's true (and men aren't simply being prompted by peer pressure to overstate the frequency of their thoughts on the topic), it could be for good reason.
First of all, the Roman Empire's legacy is deeply entrenched in our politics, architecture, education, language, and laws. From the Capitol to the military, America has placed a Roman heritage at its foundation. You may not clock the multiple references to it that you see each day and the ubiquitous Latin words in your everyday speech (just look up the etymology for most words you can think of), but your subconscious mind does. However, there's nothing new there, going back to the founding of the United States itself.
