The Caryatids adorned the temple’s southwestern entrance and supported the entablature on thor heads. They are the most distinctive element of the Erechtheion. These six marble female figures take the place of the traditional column, an architectural solution that was pretty common in the Ionic order. But these Caryatids have a history of their own. Researchers claim that they represent maidens of Karyai, a village in ancient Laconia. The town betrayed Athens by siding with Persia in the Greco-Persian Wars (502-449 BCE), so the Athenians enslaved the women of Karyai. The maidens were deemed an archetype of beauty. As a result, the figures on the Erechtheion became symbols of aesthetic perfection for many centuries. In addition to their spectacular beauty, we should note the subtle movement of their legs that counterbalances the static composition. The Erechtheion became a Christian church in the early Christian period and remained practically intact (despite constant changes in function) until Lord Elgin despoiled it in the early 19th century. The conservation of the Erechtheion began in the late 19th century.