Roman Empire Meaning: What ‘My Roman Empire’ Means
Your Roman Empire is a topic you think about surprisingly often. Online, the Roman Empire meaning began as a literal question: in 2023, TIME reported, women on TikTok asked the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire. Checked against TIME: According to a New TikTok Trend, Men Think About the Roman Empire All the Time (September 15, 2023)Press report
Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com and Cambridge have no entry for the slang sense, Checked against Dictionary.com: Roman Empire so the trend’s history below rests on dated news reports and, hedged, on Know Your Meme, a site that documents internet culture. More trend vocabulary is in our social media glossary.
Roman Empire Meaning Online: Two Senses
Online, the phrase works two ways: as a literal question and as a figurative catchphrase.
- The question. “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” Here the empire is the real one.
- The catchphrase. “That’s my Roman Empire” means a topic you keep coming back to.
Offline, the phrase still means the empire of ancient Rome, the only sense Dictionary.com records. Checked against Dictionary.com: Roman Empire
How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire? The 2023 Trend
The trend was that question, asked of men. TIME reported on 15 September 2023 that women on TikTok were asking the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire, and that the #RomanEmpire hashtag had over 893 million views at that point. Checked against TIME: According to a New TikTok Trend, Men Think About the Roman Empire All the Time (September 15, 2023)Press report A week later, CBS News said the trend had taken off mainly on TikTok. Checked against CBS News: Why are people on TikTok asking men how often they think about the Roman Empire? (September 22, 2023)Press report
Here is how it built, date by date:
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 25 September 2022 | A Swedish Instagram user poses the question in a post | Know Your Meme (date); CBS News |
| 19 August 2023 | A Roman reenactor posts the reel that, CBS News says, helped the trend take off | Know Your Meme (date); CBS News |
| September 2023 | The question spreads on TikTok; on 15 September the #RomanEmpire hashtag passes 893 million views | Know Your Meme; TIME |
| Mid-September 2023 | People post their own fixations as “my Roman Empire” | Know Your Meme |
| 19 September 2023 | Women name their own equivalents | The Tab |
Checked against Know Your Meme: How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire?.Community-documented
The two earliest dates come from Know Your Meme, a community-edited site, so treat them as documented rather than confirmed; the press reports back up the September 2023 spread.
Who Started the Roman Empire Trend?
Two starting points come up, depending on the source. Know Your Meme credits a Swedish Instagram user with first posing the question, and CBS News repeated that account. Checked against CBS News: Why are people on TikTok asking men how often they think about the Roman Empire? (September 22, 2023)Press report TIME, citing Insider, said the trend may trace back to an August 2023 Instagram reel by a Roman reenactor called Gaius Flavius. Checked against TIME: According to a New TikTok Trend, Men Think About the Roman Empire All the Time (September 15, 2023)Press report
What Does ‘My Roman Empire’ Mean?
“My Roman Empire” is something you think about often, whether or not it has anything to do with Rome. Know Your Meme, a site that documents internet culture, records that by mid-September 2023 people were posting their own versions about topics they think about often, under the catchphrase “my Roman Empire.” Checked against Know Your Meme: How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire?Community-documented
It comes in two shapes. “What’s your Roman Empire?” invites someone to confess one; “this is my Roman Empire” declares yours.
The idea crossed over fast. Four days after TIME’s report, The Tab reported on 19 September 2023 that women on TikTok and Twitter were naming their own equivalents of the Roman Empire, with examples including an ex-best friend and Princess Diana. Checked against The Tab: Princess Diana and ex-best friends: These are the girl equivalents to the Roman Empire (19 Sep 2023)Press report
My Roman Empire Examples
Any topic can be your Roman Empire; the joke is how often it crosses your mind. A few lines, all written by us:
- “Sourdough starters are my Roman Empire.”
- “What’s your Roman Empire? Mine is the ending of a show that wrapped ten years ago.”
- “I’m not chronically online, but a comment thread from last week is my Roman Empire.”
A note on tone. The original question plays on a stereotype about men, and it works as a joke between people who know each other, not as a verdict on all men or all women. The catchphrase sidesteps that: anyone’s Roman Empire can be anything.
Should Brands Jump on Trends Like This?
Yes, if the joke fits the brand and the timing is right. A “my Roman Empire” post works when the obsession is real and on topic, like a coffee roaster whose Roman Empire is water temperature. It falls flat as a men-versus-women joke at your customers, or after the moment has passed. The same goes for TikTok sounds, TikTok challenges and POV videos: join with something true to your brand, while the trend is still current, or skip it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ‘what’s your Roman Empire’ mean?
It asks which topic you think about often. The phrase grew out of a 2023 trend in which, TIME reported, women asked the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire.
Who started the Roman Empire trend?
Two starting points come up. Know Your Meme credits a Swedish Instagram user with first posing the question, in a post it dates to 25 September 2022, and CBS News repeated that account. TIME, citing Insider, said the trend may trace back to an August 2023 Instagram reel by a Roman reenactor called Gaius Flavius.
What is a woman’s Roman Empire?
It’s the reply to the original trend. The Tab reported on 19 September 2023 that women on TikTok and Twitter had started naming their own equivalents, with examples including an ex-best friend and Princess Diana.
What does ‘this is my Roman Empire’ mean?
It means “this is something I think about a lot.” Know Your Meme, a site that documents internet culture, records that by mid-September 2023 people were posting their own versions about topics they think about often, under the catchphrase “my Roman Empire.” Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com and Cambridge have no entry for this sense.