(Gr. TeXam ov, supporter, from T%1]vac, to bear), in architecture the term used by the Romans as equivalent to Atlantes (the Greek term) for male figures employed to carry architraves and cornices. The best-known examples are those in the tepidarium of the baths of Pompeii, which consist of small figures in terra-cotta, 2 ft. high, placed between niches and carrying a cornice.