How Often Do YOU Think About the Roman Empire?

The real reason TikTok is crazy for ancient Rome

If you’re even a little bit online, you know that the men love ancient Rome. This isn’t new: The civilization has loomed large in the western imagination ever since its catastrophic collapse. But why do images of arches and aqueducts continue to fuel such a widespread fixation? Can obsessing over Rome make our world better, or is there a sinister side to fetishizing the ancient past? Let’s find out in this video: Why Bros Love Rome.

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Written by Amanda Scherker
Hosted by Michael Burns
Directed by Michael Luxemburg
Edited by Brian M Kim
Produced by Olivia Redden

Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound

#romanempire #culture #wisecrack

© 2023 Wisecrack / Omnia Media, Inc. / Enthusiast Gaming

[timothym]

As a long term history geek, I think about historical cultures quite frequently. That being said my main gripe is when all the idiots constantly try and impose their current sociopolitical preferences on history, then try and use that history to justify and support their current sociopolitical ideals. All with almost no actual historical knowledge.

[nathy]

I'm a 33 year old woman who wanted to be an archaeologist as a kid. I used to pretend to dig up bones in the yard. I majored in anthropology and ultimately decided I was too first gen for this kind of work. All this to say, I'm a frustrated archaeologist and historian, and I think about the Roman empire every single day lol. I think about ancient societies and cultures from around the world (from antiquity and today) everyday. I'm constantly thinking about what it means to be a human and what it has meant across time in different parts of the world. There are human universals and there are also not. It's crazy and fascinating and sad because we still experience the same human foolishness but also the joys and pleasures everyday. What a crazy thing to be alive. Am I stoned, yes I am. But that is besides the point.

[randodave]

I think about the Roman Empire as often as someone else brings it up.

[dragoon]

The Roman empire is fascinating to me because it shows people never change. Humans were just as dumb back then as they are now.

[WindrunnerMoash]

After hearing Dr. Micheal Parenti’s speech on the assassination of Julius Caesar, and how Julius was down for cancelling debt for the populous, I think about it a lot more than I used to

[Dorgpoop]

2:30 dont forget that the eastern roman empire continued for another ten centuries. They identified as romans, and kept all the late roman institutions like the senate and emperors. We only call them the Byzantine empire to differentiate them from the western roman empire. They also continued to make strides of innovation with inventions like the Corpus Juris Civilis from which half the world's legal systems are inspired, architectural feats like Hagia Sophia and water mills.

[Corgi_Manu]

I think its safe to say that ALOT of us have been thinking of the Roman Empire before thinking about the Roman Empire became a trend up until recently.

[Atigulus]

Say what you want about Rome as a cultural idea, but it's hard not to be in awe by the sheer amount of logistics needed to run it.

[afeeser]

When I think about Rome, I think about the roads they made throughout Europe; the sense of openness to new ideas while still oppressing people from other areas (their conquests) ; and the great variety of religions that seemingly lived alongside each other.

[kineticstar]

My family is historically French, Spanish, and Italian. But as an American citizen, I dont think about Rome unless someone mentions it, or I see a Little Caesar's commercial pops up in my ads.

[userMB]

Watching this i thought to myself:"Why are these men not fantasizing about the Greeks who were the precursors or Romans?" Then it hit me; the fact that the Greeks states were not an empire plays a huge rol i think as mentioned in this video.

[dain]

As a full-time field archaeologist, I actually think about Rome relatively little. It is just one tiny slice of Human history. I find much more fascination in the Bronze Age, particularly in places where there was no writing. That being said, I played a ton of Rome Total War as a kid, and I did one excavation on a Roman City a few years back. My fascination with it is how life has not changed a whole lot for people in the Republic and Empire compared to now (sans slavery and some modern inventions). People went to fast food joints, they read the news, they went to the spa or sauna (public baths), they went to the barber or hair stylist, they watched sporting events, and they went to swinger meet ups :P I think it also fascinates people because alone of ancient civilizations in Europe, Rome evokes this idea that they were "just on the edge of modernity", and that maybe in another century or two they would have industrialization. And because there is so much archaeology, art, written material, and material culture in general, we have quite a vivid picture of day to day life in Rome that we do not have for other periods and cultures.

But with this question, "how often do you think of Rome?" I believe it is not necessarily a unique one. Ask men how many times they think of Vikings, or maybe Mongols, and I would be curious to see the response on the internet.

[FercEater]

as an amateur histortian, I love Roman because they had so much surviving written material. no matter the topic I'm learning, someone throughout the Roman era probably wrote about it.

[avalacos]

What I find really interesting is that this draws parallels to Eastern cultures like China, Korea and Japan who also seem (from an outsider perspective) to have a love affair with modern media depictions of their empirical heydays. I'd be keen to see Wisecrack tackle other cultures lenses on their particular antiquity with the help of local specialists.

[danculea]

I like the Romans for a few reasons: an epic rags-to-riches story, a mixture of different cultures and traditions, and lots of advances in science and engineering. It's been only a few years now since we've rediscovered the Roman technique for self-healing concrete, which might have practical applications in this day and age. I think it's also a popular topic because it feels both familiar and exotic at the same time to modern audiences.

[dem]

Rome is simultaneously foreign and familiar, far and near. It's the perfect equilibrium.

And: newspapers, aquaducts, signs.

[Peter_Lewis]

I think about Rome quite a bit, but that's really just because I love history, and especially classical/ancient history. For me, it's mostly the aesthetics, and the grand scale of ancient civilizations, that captures my imagination. I'm also just fascinated by civilizations in general, their rise, fall, etc. So yeah, I've always been really captivated by ancient Rome, and I do think about it somewhat frequently. But I have the same level of fascination and interest in Ancient Greece, Egypt, the Maya, etc.

[whittaker]

I always thought the great attraction of Rome was as a cautionary tale of how a powerful and sophisticated society can collapse and fade into history.

[Jamesssssssssssssss]

I think of Greek myths more than the Roman Empire. I was definitely more into it when i was a preteen/ early teens. The stories really are timeless in my opinion.

[beebot]

living near the Roman Baths (in Bath UK) brings the romans to mind on occasion. also, any straight road here is likely Roman too; those guys knew how to lay down some bricks. Shame the local council isn't as exacting about building roads to high standards 😅

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