flourished 3rd century BC
Roman statesman and legal reformer.
Elected censor, Appius extended the rights of the sons of freedmen and the landless. He completed the Aqua Appia, Rome's first aqueduct, and started construction of the Appian Way . He was consul in 307, censor a second time in 296, and praetor in 295. By publishing the legis actiones ("methods of legal practice") and lists of court days, he provided greater public access to the legal system. In his old age he convinced the Senate to drive the Epirite king Pyrrhus from southern Italy.