Where Are the Original Caryatids of the Erechtheion?

From the Parthenon, look across the summit for a much smaller porch. Six figures stand under its roof where you might expect columns. This is the south porch of the Erechtheion. It takes a visit to the hill and a visit to the Acropolis Museum to see both the setting and the ancient sculpture in detail.

Are the Caryatids on the Acropolis the originals?

The six figures on the porch are copies. Their positions show how the sculptor and architect worked together. Stand where you can see a corner of the porch. The row along the front turns back on each side, so the figures define a space you could imagine walking into. Follow one figure from the base up through the folds of her dress to the capital above her head. That is the point where a human figure does the work of a column.

Where can I see the original Caryatids?

Five are in the Acropolis Museum in Athens. The sixth is in the British Museum in London. At the Acropolis Museum you can walk around the figures. Look at them from behind as well as from the front. The long plaits are far easier to see here than they are from the summit path. The empty position in the group marks where the sixth figure would stand.

Why does the Erechtheion have porches at different heights?

The builders had to fit several places of worship onto uneven rock. The eastern room was dedicated to Athena, while the western part accommodated other cults, including that of Poseidon-Erechtheus. Step back far enough to see the different levels. The small south porch with the figures is only one part of the building. A look around its outline explains the plan better than a close photograph of the figures alone.