Supporting column sculpted in the form of a draped female figure.
Caryatids first appeared in three small buildings (treasuries) at Delphi (550–530 BC). The most celebrated example is the caryatid porch of the Erechtheum (421–406 BC), with six figures, on the Acropolis (see acropolis ) of Athens. Caryatids are sometimes called korai ("maidens"). Their male counterpart is the atlas .