Women Holding Up the World
Do you ever feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Then you can sympathize with the Caryatids. These six sculptures, now on display in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, once were the support structures of the Erechtheion, a 5th century temple located next to the Parthenon in Athens. Today, the sculptures you see when you visit the Acropolis hill are copies. The originals were removed years ago, to undergo restoration and to be protected from pollutants. Designed by the master sculptor Phidias, the Caryatids are possibly named after women from Karyes of Laconia, who danced in honor of the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. The thick braid down the back of each figure was not only a way to add beauty, but to reinforce the fragile neck of each sculpture. Throughout antiquity, women have often been seen in the background: while men headed into battle, women stayed behind, making babies, making life happen. There are exceptions, remarkable ones, like Laskari...
