Greece: Caryatids

Submitted by Logan Pickering on the 2022 winter session program in Greece sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

The Caryatids from the Acropolis were amazing to see. They’ve put replicas on the Acropolis where the originals stood, and 5 of 6 Caryatids are in the Acropolis Museum, the 6th one is in the British Museum. We could only see the replicas from far away, so seeing their actual size and detail up close really put in perspective how talented the artists were and how ingenious they were to make sure the Caryatids could actually hold up the roof. For example, the sculptor put the hair in that specific location because it made the diameter of the neck bigger to enable the structure to hold the roof and not crumble under the weight. It was amazing to see how much thought and care went into this, even in times when they didn’t have the same tools we have today to do the same thing.