Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica 2014, 15 (3): 119–133 Michael Vickers 1 Te Caryatids on the Erechtheum at Athens. Questions of chronology and symbolism It might be thought that little new could be said about the Erechtheum, a building that has been studied in great detail over the centuries. And yet, there are still many uncertainties surrounding its purpose, not least the reason for the distinctive southern Caryatid porch. Te date at which the Erechtheum was built is also uncertain. Not that one would realise this from current scholarship; it is still widely believed that construction began in 421 BC afer the Peace of Nicias; then work was suspended and resumed in 408 BC. I had already argued against this position in 1985 (Vickers 1985), but even though there have been some valuable subsequent studies (e.g. King 1998; Shear 1999; Rubel 2000: 271–286; Lesk 2004; 2007), I do not believe that my arguments have been satisfactorily met. I am grateful to my hosts in Gdansk for having provided the opportunity for another shot at the target, and for a restatement of the case that construction of the Erechtheum was only begun in 412 BC and that the Caryatid porch was intended to put current relations between Sparta and Persia in a bad light, in keeping with a tale told by Vitruvius. Key words: Te Caryatids, the Erechtheum, Athens, Greek, architecture Whatever date construction of the Erechtheum began, however, it is clear that the Caryatid porch stood over the foundations of the peristyle of the Old Temple of Athena, a building that had been partially destroyed during the Persian sack of Athens in 480 BC. Tese remains can still be seen, and it has recently been argued that the cella of the temple remained in use throughout antiquity, as a permanent memorial to Persian aggression, rather on the lines of the Kaiser Wilhelms Den- kmalkirche in Berlin, preserved for not unrelated reasons (Ferrari 2002). If so, it would be difcult to argue that the acute proximity of the porch to the surviving remains of the cella was not without signifcance in the eyes of the ancient viewer. None of the six Caryatids is currently in situ. One was moved to safety by Lord Elgin’s agents in the early 19 th century, and is now in the British Museum (Paton, 1 Jesus College, University of Oxford; michael.vickers@jesus.ox.ac.uk.