How often do you think about the Roman Empire? If you’re a male the answer is likely often and if you’re a female well, chances are it hasn’t crossed your mind in a while. 

This strange phenomenon quickly went viral on the social media platform TikTok when influencer Saskia Cort told her followers to ask the men in their lives this question. She received hundreds of replies that confirmed her findings. Men are disproportionately more fascinated with the Roman Empire than women. 

But why? 

“Well they created things that were really cool like aqueducts and even a new form of government.” said Upper School bible teacher, Luke Davis. 

“There’s just too much to think about. They created everything from gladiator fights to roads and even the calendar.” said senior Will Dana. 

Thousands of other men interviewed by their female counterparts on Tik-Tok agreed that the Romans created enough technology to occupy their minds on a daily basis. 

Yes, the Romans did a lot to help our society and create important technology, but why this fascination with the Roman Empire? There are arguably much better empires out there. What about the Aztecs? Or even my personal favorites and the inventors of chocolate, the Mayans. 

So, if men think about the Roman Empire, what do women think about? 

“I think alot about the Salem witch trials, they just seem so mysterious and fascinating,” said senior Corinne Plumb.

The Salem witch trials are definitely a crowd favorite among women on tiktok and in Westminster for most thought about topics. This fascination was likely brought about by the dramatic reenactment and reading of The Crucible in American Literature. 

However, for others, the Roman Empire has taken on a more concrete meaning. 

“Energy drinks are my Roman Empire.” said senior Lilly Charnes.

At this point anything can be anyone’s Roman Empire. The only requirement is that you think about it daily. Other popular “Roman empires” on TikTok included food, popular music videos, and Starbucks. 

So, from gladiators and aqueducts to witches and energy drinks, the Roman Empire trend has become a new favorite among Gen-Z. In reality we are all unique so it isn’t surprising that we all have different fascinations. However this begs the question, what is your Roman Empire?