hemicyclium

hēmĭcyclium, ĭi, n., = ἡμικύκλιον,

• a half-circle, semicircle, Vitr. 9, 8, 5; Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 33.—
• II In partic.
• • A A semicircular recess, with seats, Cic. Lael. 1, 2; Sid. Ep. 2, 2.—
  • B A semicircular public place furnished with rows of seats for learned discussions, Suet. Gramm. 17.—
  • C A semicircular kind of sundial, Vitr. 9, 8, 1.

hēmicyclium, iī, od. ī, n. (ἡμικύκλιον), I) der Halbkreis, Vitr. 5, 1, 8; 9, 7 (8), 5 sq. Plin. ep. 5, 6, 33. – II) übtr.: a) ein halbrunder Sitz, auf dem, je nachdem sein Umfang kleiner od. größer war, eine od. mehrere Personen Platz haben konnten, Cic. de amic. 2. Sidon. epist. 2, 2, 4: wie sie aus Stein auch auf öffentlichen Plätzen zum Ausruhen und zur Unterhaltung angebracht waren, Suet. gr. 17. – b) eine halbkreisförmige Art Sonnenuhren, Vitr. 9, 8, 1.

hēmĭcyclĭum, (15) ĭī, n. (ἡμικύκλιον), ¶ 1 hémicycle, amphithéâtre : Vitr. Arch. 9, 8, 5 ¶ 2 espèce de cadran solaire : Vitr. Arch. 9, 8, 1 || hémicycle, siège semi-circulaire : Cic. Læl. 2.

hēmicyclium ī, n

• , ἡμικύκλιον, a semicircle, semicircular recess, with seats.

HEMICYCLIUM

HEMICY´CLIUM(ἡμικύκλιον), a semicircle, is used in much the same senses as EXEDRA (q. v.). 1. A recessed seat, either semicircular in shape or, sometimes, a smaller segment of a circle; Vitruvius (Vitr. 5.1.8) describes one built by himself, which was 46 feet long and 15 deep; it formed the tribunal of a basilica (Guhl and Koner, ed. 5, p. 527). 2. A hall or colonnade furnished with such recesses, and employed for purposes of conversation, either in private houses (Cic. de Am. 1) or in places of public resort; coupled with palaestrae, as a sort of clubs for social meeting and gossip (Plut. Alc. 17, Nic. 12). In this sense it approaches the meaning of LESCHE(Hermann-Blümner, Privatalterth. p. 126, n. 5). 3. A semicircular stone or marble alcove in the streets or squares of a town, or in the open air generally. Two such are still standing in the Street of Tombs outside the walls of Pompeii, near the gate leading to Herculaneum; one of these is figured by Rich s. v.: a third is at the back of a small apartment open to the street (Mus. Borbon. xv. tav. 25, 26). Another, containing a fountain, is in the grounds of a Roman villa at Euren near Trier or Trèves (Guhl and Koner, p. 576). 4. A convex sundial, figured and described under HOROLOGIUM

[P.S] [W.W]

Hemicyclium

(ἡμικύκλιον). (1) A semicircular alcove, sufficiently large to admit of several persons sitting in it at the same time, for the enjoyment of mutual converse. The ancients constructed such places in their own pleasure-grounds (Cic. De Am. 1; Sidon. Ep. i. 1), and also as public seats in different parts of a town for the accommodation of the inhabitants (Suet. Gramm. 17).

(2) A sundial of simple construction invented by Berosus. See horologium.