I’ve been thinking rather a lot about ancient Rome recently. Not because of a certain TikTok trend in which women ask the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire (spoiler alert: often). Nor because, as that trend suggests, it offers a "safe place for macho fantasies… where men can pretend to be macho men” while glossing over a culture built on slavery, as Mary Beard deftly puts it. My personal fascination is no toxic masculine red flag (honest). It’s vinous.