While the western stretch of the Via Sacra which runs through the Forum follows the original ancient route of the road, the eastern stretch between the end of the forum and the
Colosseum, which passes underneath the
Arch of Titus, is a redirection of the road built after the
Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. In the Republic and Early Empire, the route forked to the north near the
House of the Vestals and passed through a saddle in the
Velian Hill, now occupied largely by the
Basilica of Maxentius and the modern
Via dei Fori Imperiali. As part of his rebuilding program following the fire, Nero essentially straightened the road by redirecting it between the Velian and
Palatine Hills, creating grand colonnades on either side for shop stalls and commerce. At the east side was built under Hadrian and Antoninus Pius the
temple of Venus and Roma. == Sources ==