The Gist:

• If you see people referencing the Roman Empire on TikTok all the time, there's a reason.
• The trend started when women were amazed to learn that men think about the ancient civilization often.
• Now people are sharing what their own personal Roman Empires are.

Recently, women were astonished that men in their lives think about the Roman Empire a lot.

The phenomenon was uncovered when, according to Know Your Meme, a social media user in Sweden challenged women to ask men how often they contemplate the ancient civilization.

And now, with men continuing to befuddle women with their answer, TikTok users are referencing topics outside of the Roman Empire that are their, well, Roman Empire.

What does it mean when someone calls something their Roman Empire on TikTok?

First, to go back a hot second, do men really think about the Roman Empire frequently? Apparently they do.

There are tons of examples on TikTok. One woman asked her boyfriend how much he considers the notion, and he said "three of four times a month," then defended his answer by pointing out that there are a lot of lessons and stories that came out of this time period.

Celebrities have also gotten in on the trend. Hannah Brown from The Bachelor asked her fiancé Adam Woolard the same question about the Roman Empire, to which he responded that he thinks about it "pretty consistently."

From sports, to politics, to modern-day roads, and even our sewage system, the influence of the Roman Empire cannot be understated — or under-contemplated, it seems.

But not everyone is fixated on the accomplishments of the Romans. Elsewhere on TikTok, people are joking about topics that are "my Roman Empire," such as "the wedding of the century" between Madelaine Brockway and Jacob LaGrone, which took place in Paris, and featured Adam Levine as the couple's wedding singer.

Another TikToker noted that their Roman Empire is overthinking how they got back together with an ex-boyfriend even though he cheated.

On a much more somber note, people are also sharing that the subject they can't get out of their minds is how a loved one died.

Everyone has their own Roman Empire.

On a much lighter note, one TikTok user said that her Roman Empire is that she can't figure out what the trend means. Hopefully this explanation will help!

It really is pretty straightforward once you understand the backstory.

From deeply affecting, to more trivial, like a person obsessing over a celebrity interaction, identifying something you literally cannot stop thinking about is the Roman Empire of your life.

The trend has truly taken off, with "my Roman Empire" trending on TikTok. Talking about your own personal Roman Empire has also bled over onto other social platforms, including Twitter.

Perhaps the fact that we all seemingly have our own Roman Empire makes the fact that many men are often reflecting on the ancient society a bit more relatable.

Because, hey, even if you aren't considering how the Romans are responsible for the foundations of our legal system or plumbing, then you are probably fixated on another topic that is equally important in your life.