A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ‘karyatides’ translates to "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese. Karyai had .... a famous temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis in her aspect of Artemis Karyatis.
The caryatids found at Amphipolis, which are carved from Thassos marble, are wearing a sleeved tunic and earrings, and feature long, curly hair covering their shoulders. The right arm of the western caryatid and the left arm of the eastern one are both outstretched, as if to symbolically stop anyone attempting to enter the grave. The face of one of the sculptures survives almost intact, while the other one is missing.
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