Erechtheion

The Erechtheion stands on the north side of the Athenian Acropolis and is the most unusual of Greek classical temples: an asymmetrical, multi-chambered building in the Ionic order, built between 420 and 406 BC over several older cult sites. It was dedicated to Athena Polias, Poseidon and the legendary king Erechtheus, and housed the ancient olive-wood statue of Athena along with the salt-water spring said to have been struck open by Poseidon's trident. The south porch is famous for its caryatids, six over-life-size female figures who carry the roof in place of columns. Five of the originals are now in the Acropolis Museum, the sixth has been in the British Museum in London since 1801; replicas stand on the building itself. The Acropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.