Before Rome became an empire (a group of countries or states ruled over by one central authority), it was a republic. Rome's government was made up of elected representatives, similar to the representatives we have in our Senate and House of Representatives in the United States. The Roman republic created the Appia Antica during the Roman republic around 312BCE! The road was used both for trade and to transport military supplies and soldiers.
This road is special in part because it has existed for over 2,330 years! Although today it is not used to transport goods, military supplies or soldiers, people can still use it. When I visited Appia Antica, I was able to bike almost 10 miles on this ancient road.
Not only did the Romans build this main road, they constructed many buildings along it as well. I saw many of these buildings as I biked along Appia Antica. Similar to how we now have hotels and fast food restaurants off of highways in the U.S., there were places for ancient Romans to rest off of Appia Antica.
