"It replaced the old temple of Athena Polias and celebrated the victory over the Persians." Looking at the layout of the Erechtheion, it contained several rooms which are believed to contain sacred precincts and help explain its complex design. “The main eastern cell was dedicated to the goddess Athena; the west cell was dedicated to Poseidon together with the north portico of the Erechtheion”. The portico is said to preserve the exact spot where Poseidon struck his trident when competing with Athena. "Numerous other places in the Erechtheion were dedicated to the miracles that occurred on the Acropolis, such as the point where its olive tree sprouted from the rock." It was built entirely of marble and contained friezes at the top, just like the Parthenon. The porches are what makes this structure truly magnificent. “The north porch is more elaborate than the east one, but the west facade is something very unique in the building as a whole.” The Portico of the Caryatids is what distinguishes the Erechtheion from the rest of the temples due to the design choices made with this portico. Instead of the usual Doric or Ionic columns seen in all Acropolis temples, this portico took a different approach. These columns are called caryatids, which simply means that the columns are in the shape of a woman