Looking again at female-figured supportive columns and Vitruvius' caryatid definition in ancient architecture

The female-figured supportive columns used both as ornaments and as load bearing elements in an architectural order, are first seen in ancient Egyptian architecture in the 2nd millennium BC. After Egypt, they have appeared in the Ancient Near East in the 9th century B.C, and following the 6th century B.C, they are seen in Cyprus, Anatolia and Mainland Greece. In archaeology, art and architectural history, women who carry decorative pieces of stone crowns above their heads to support superior structures, are called as Hathor columns and caryatids. Hathor columns bear the image of the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor, whereas caryatids bear the image of a female figure called Kore who is shaped as a draped woman statue in the place of columns. This thesis aims to examine the female figural architectural supports identified from different places and periods with their possible ancient Egyptian precursors, and it also tries to show how the Egyptian architecture and belief system contributed to the development of the caryatid design. Besides, Vitruvius' traditional view defining caryatids as 'slave women bearing their burden of embarrassment' is still accepted by most of the contemporary researches, even though it contradicts with the symbolic meanings of Hathor columns and the Tell Halaf caryatid found in Syria that represents the goddess Hebat/Ishtar. Also, up until now, there has not been any research done which compares Hathor supports with caryatid columns. Although Evamaria Schmidt and Andreas Schmidt-Colinet who have done comprehensive researches on caryatids mentioned about the Egyptian connection, they have focused more on the definitions and descriptions of the columns rather than doing a detailed comparative analysis of the column capitals (Schmidt-Colinet 1977;Schmidt 1982). Zeynep Kuban who for the first time draws attention for this problem in her article called "Griechische Moden an Lykischen Grȁbern", has pointed out that the female figural architectural supports should be analysed with the examples coming from ancient Egypt and Cyprus (Kuban, 2008, s. 64-66) (pers. comm., 2011). This study taking this into consideration examines the female architectural supports in ancient architecture dated between the 2nd millennium B.C and the 4th century B.C. It also analyzes what kind of development and change the female architectural supports went through time and tries to find out if caryatid design developed from a common inspirational idea. In this study, it is also intended to emphasize the common cultic meanings and similar forms of expressions that the caryatid columns have developed through cultural interactions with ancient Egypt, ancient Syria and ancient Cyprus. Using a holistic approach and a comparative method, this study also attempts to examine the female architectural supports in their architectural settings and places within the historial context of their time. Besides that, this study also tries to contribute to the disciplines of archaeology, architectural history and art history bringing a new perspective for the possible interpretations of the other column orders seen in ancient architecture. The Hathor columns are mostly found in the naos, portico, hypostil or pronaos of the monumental funerary temple complexes and temples dedicated to Hathor which are located close by the Nile river in ancient Egypt. In Cyprus, only the capitals of the Hathor columns are found,and although they are not discovered in situ, it has been found out that they were mostly located at the cultic places where the mother goddess (Astarte/Aphrodite) was worshipped. Besides that, the caryatids discovered very few in numbers, were found at the front facades of the remarkable architectural buildings of their time period. The pioneer caryatids which are dated before the 4th century B.C were discovered at the buildings namely as follows; in the city of Tell-Halaf (Guzana) in Syria, at the portico of the hilani dated to the 9th century B.C which is believed to be the mausoleum of the Aramaic king Kapara; at Meydancıkkale (Kirshu) in the entrance of an heroon dated to the first half of the 6th century BC which is thought to belong to the King Appuashu of the Prindunu, a royal Luwian family; in the mainland Greece, at Delphi at the pronaos of the in-antis megaron planned buildings called Knidians' and Siphnians' "treasure houses" dated to the 6th century B.C; in Athens at the "south-portico" of the Erechtheion temple called as Kekrop's heroon kiosk dated to the 5th century B.C, in Anatolia at Limyra, at the porticos of the Pericles' heroon dated to the 4th century B.C, and in mainland Greece, at Amphipolis heroon (burial mound) dated to the end of the 4th century B.C, in the entrance of the burial chamber. When Caryatids are studied in comparison with the Hathor supporters, it is understood that their main common point is their column capital order consisting of a female head carrying a plant formed and decorated supportive element that has the similar cultic meaning. Hathor carries a kalathos crown on top of her head which is formed out of a papyrus umbel sacred for the ancient Egyptians. In the caryatid orders, the korai carry also kalathoi on their heads shaped out of stylized flower or other plant forms. The depiction of papyrus plant as a crown on top of Hathor head shows that goddess Hathor is associated with the papyrus plant which is one of her sacred symbols and attributes. It is also understood that the same tradition continues in Cyprus since Hathor is identified with the Cypriot goddess, and her image is shown on Hathor headed papyrus capitals. In the caryatid order seen in Anatolia and mainland Greece, it can be also suggested that the same tradition continues, although female body replaces the plant stalk seen in Hathor columns. The female architectural supports carrying plant formed decorated kalathoi on top of their heads also reveals that the "life tree" symbol started with the goddess Hathor in an architectural order continues to be narrated as an architectural language. Besides that, the cultic character of the places where the caryatid columns are found in Anatolia and mainland Greece, manifests similar characteristics with the Hathor columns discovered in Ancient Egypt and Cyprus. These structures could be the places devoted to the immortal gods and goddesses, as well as the tomb monuments dedicated to the dead king, queen, legendary or lived hero. Furthermore, the use of Hathor columns in the form of musical instruments in the temple and burial cult rituals confirms that the kalathoi of the caryatid column capitals are not only carved as functional forms but also as specific forms of ritual objects bearing symbolic meanings. Also, the way kalathos is associated with the death cult shows similarity with the way the Knidian and Erechtheion caryatid crowns are associated with the phialai and kalathoi used in death cult ceremonies. After all the findings are analyzed, it is seen that the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor is equated with Ishtar, Astarte, Hebat, Hera, Kubaba, Kybele, Artemis, Aphrodite, Demeter and Kore in ancient Syria, ancient Cyprus, Anatolia and mainland Greece. The kalathoi and phialai are also known among the most important attributes of these goddesses mentioned above. Besides that, the kalathoi found in cultic places also define both the celestial and chthonic features of the goddessess associated with abundance and fertility. Therefore, it can be said that women supportive columns being the divine symbols of immortality and fertility are the appearances of goddesses that protect royal families, legendary or real ancestory cults and the prosperity of the cities. The continous usage of kalathos crown developed from a plant form found on top of the karyatid heads similar to the ones found on Hathor heads of the Hathor columns also proves that hypothesis mentioned above, and this assumption brings a new perspective to Vitruvius' identification of caryatids as "slave women". It can be said that those mysterious women who are shaped in monumental sizes, draped with beautiful garments bearing decorated crowns on top of their heads might be called as "Divine Guardians". Moreover, at Delphi, the Knidians' and Siphnians' treasury buildings might have also served as multi-functional buildings with cultic and chthonic purposes besides their their designated usage as treasure depots. As a result, a conclusion can be reached suggesting that the women supportive columns might have developed from a common inspirational mythical or visual idea and their symbolic meanings have not changed at the end of their transmission from East to West. In addition to that, besides the considerations of Vitruvius' description of Ionic column as a female form and the fewer usage of caryatids in comparison to classical orders in ancient architecture, one might also think that canonic forms of column capitals were preferred to be used as aniconic figurations of Goddess images.