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The Forum Romanum was originally the area around the Curia and Basilicas, sometimes called the lower Forum. In this case "lower" refers to elevation. The Forum occupies the valley between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. It was originally marshy and only became usable when the early Romans drained it by constructing the Cloaca Maxima which is still in evidence today.
The lowest point in the Forum is approximately where the Cloaca crosses it. From there it rises slightly to the foot of the Capitoline and more steeply to the Arch of Titus which stands at the highest point of the Via Sacra, between the Forum and the Colosseum.
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