Caryatis

Caryatis in Greek mythology, was a surname of Diana, who had a sanctuary near the pillars of Hermes, and close by Carva, in Laconia. The place was sacred to Diana and the nymphs, and yearly the Lacedaemonian maidens danced ring-dances around the statue of the goddess, which stood in the open air. Some have thought to find a facsimile of these Spartan dancers in the Caryatides, or female columnar figures of antique architecture.