Roman Empire

The story

The sense something that one frequently thinks about is a reference to the "How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire?" meme, popularized on Instagram and TikTok around September 2023.

First known use, by meaning

• from 15th c. An ancient empire based out of Rome, which succeeded the Roman Republic and existed between 27 B.C.E. and 476 C.E. in the west (and until 1453 C.E. in the east; see Byzantine Empire), encompassing vast territories in Europe, Asia and Africa, stretching from Britain and Germany to Spain, North Africa and the Persian Gulf.
• from 16th c. The Holy Roman Empire.