In ancient Greece, one of the "maidens who carried on their heads baskets containing the sacred things used at the feasts of Demeter, Bacchus, and Athena" (Liddell and Scott); hence, an architectural term used to describe a figure of either sex carrying on his or her head a basket full of materials for sacrifice.
In ancient Greece, one of the "maidens who carried on their heads baskets containing the sacred things used at the feasts of Demeter, Bacchus, and Athena" (Liddell and Scott); hence, an architectural term used to describe a figure of either sex carrying on his or her head a basket full of materials for sacrifice.