Another grand edifice on the Acropolis terrace is Erechtheion. The Ionic design is stunning. The architect may have been Mnesikles, the same Athenian credited with the Propylaea. Similar to the Parthenon, this temple was sponsored by Pericles and bore the marble carvings of Phidias. The outstanding feature is the Porch of Maidens on the south side. These are six carvings of different robed women doubling as columns (caryatids). The Greek term is karyatides, a derivative of the village Karyes in southern Greece where maiden dancers performed a dance called caryatis. The asymmetrical temple was built from Pentelic marble and completed in 406 BC. The four-room cella measures 73 by 36.5 feet. Over the centuries, the Erechtheion has been a church, a palace and a Turkish harem.
