Something you think about often
"My Roman Empire is how hotdogs are sold in packs of 10 but buns are sold in packs of 8."
The phrase "Roman Empire" began on TikTok in 2023 where people would ask their male partners if they thought about the Roman Empire often. It turns out that the men asked think about the Roman Empire quite frequently and women were shocked at how often they were actually thinking about it. Pretty quickly, other women jumped on and started asking the partners, fathers, and brothers if they think about the Roman Empire and recording the response. Some men have admitted that they think about the Roman Empire often many times in the day which prompted confusion.
There's many guesses about why men (as exposed by the trend) think about the Roman Empire frequently. It could be because it speaks to male ideals of innovation and masculinity. People have also asked what the female equivalent of the Roman Empire would be? What do women think about multiple times a day?
From there, the term took on a new shape as it began to become a catchall phrase meaning something that occupies your thoughts often even multiple times a day.