Context: The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars.\n\nQuestion: when did the romans start building the via apia?
Steam of consciousness below:

User
To answer the question, consider the following: The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars.
So, the answer is 312 BC.
Assistant