The Caryatids, in the Acropolis of Athens
The name Caryatid refers to an architectural column in the shape of a standing female figure. The first examples are found in ancient Greek architecture. The most famous ones are on the southern porch of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis of Athens, the originals of which are now housed in the city’s Acropolis Museum.
Vitruvius coined the term Caryatid in reference to Karyai in Laconia, where women often danced while balancing a basket on their heads in honor of Artemis and where Caryatids were used in Archaic architecture. These were an evolution of Persian columns, which frequently featured animal figures in their design.