The romans were not the first to build roads, but they were surely the best builders at their time. As roads symbolized power and wealth, much work was put into them as well as their location. The most famous and first roman road was the Via Appia aka the Appian Way. Linking Rome and Capua it became a heavily traveled route while not passing through smaller towns and villages. It had an impressive stretch from Rome to Terracina that was ruler straight, later on the road would also be extended to Brundisium. Many popular roads came from Rome to another destination. The network of roads eventually traveled from Britain to Syria, some becoming as well traveled as Rome. All roads were constructed to make it the shortest possible route, which meant overcoming engineering difficulties Marshes were drained, forests were cut, creeks were redirected, and mountain sides cut into. The purpose for the locations of the roads were heavily weighed on trade and cultural exchange.