Cecilia Metella was the wife of one of Caesar's generals in Gaul (present-day France), so she wasn't an ordinary civilian, in the true sense of the word. But for a woman who was not herself a politician, it is an awesome memorial indeed.
Above: Cecilia Metella's tomb towers over Via Appia Antica
Below: Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's get up and walk around some more!
The Romans knew roads so well that the Appian Way, repaved many times over, is nonetheless still in constant use 2,300 years after it was first laid out.