Seriously, though. How often do you think of the Roman Empire?
I know this is a joke/meme, but I sincerely think of the Roman Empire a surprising amount of times. I find myself obsessing over how Roman citizens were living just as complex lives as we are today, or about Marcus Aurelius' life and philosophy, or about how the Republic fell and became a totalitarian state.
Fairly often, but mostly because I have a Roman Empire obsessed friend who, regardless of conversation topic, always manages to make a comparison to the Roman Empire.