caryatid

A caryatid is a support column in the shape of a draped female figure. The term is used in classical architecture, and although the precise origin of the term is unknown, several interpretations connect it to the ancient Greek town Caryae and the women who lived there; others connect the origin to the women who danced for the tree-cult of Artemis Caryatis. Some of the earliest caryatids date to the 6th century BC.