Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Hemisphaerium

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

HEMISPHAE'RIUM. One of the many kinds of sundials in use amongst the ancients (Vitruv. ix. 8.), which received the name from its resemblance to a hemisphere, or half of the globe supposed to be cut through its centre in the plane of one of its greatest circles. The illustration (Hemisphaerium/1.1) represents a statue of Atlas, formerly standing in the centre of Ravenna (Symeoni, Epitaffi antichi, Lione, 1557), which affords an appropriate design for a dial of this description; and indicates that the hemisphaerium was erected in an upright position, whereas the discus, which was also circular, was laid flat upon its stand: thus constituting the difference between the two.

2. The interior of a dome; i. e. the ceiling formed by it, which, in fact, consists of the half of a hollow globe; such, for instance, as the Pantheon at Rome. Vitruv. v. 10. 5.

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  Hemisphaerium/1.1