A half-circle or semicircular structure, particularly used to describe semicircular seating arrangements in theaters, parliaments, or other public buildings.
From Greek 'hemi-' meaning half and 'kyklos' meaning circle. This architectural term has been used since ancient Rome to describe theater seating.
The hemicycle design was perfected by Roman architects for amphitheaters, and it's still used in parliaments worldwide—the curved semicircular seating in the U.S. Senate or British Parliament comes straight from ancient Rome's brilliant design.
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