The original Caryatids (Caryatides) statues from the Erechtheion.
The Caryatids have become the temple’s signature feature, as they stand and casually support the weight of the porch’s roof on their heads.
Their identification, or the purpose for such elaborate column treatment is lost through the centuries, but it was by no means a new feature in Greek architecture. The Syphian treasury at the sanctuary of Delphi similarly substituted female figures for columns as far back as the sixth century BCE.
More about the Erechtheion…
Exhibited at the Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece.