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The antiquities dispersed in the wider area of Sparta were recorded by Romantic foreign travellers during the nineteenth century. The first attempt to found a museum in Sparta was made by Ludwig Ross in 1832, but did not meet with success. From 1850, sculptures, reliefs and inscriptions were collected up and stored in the premises of the Prefecture, and in 1860 the antiquities were classified in a classroom of the High School. The Sparta Archaeological Museum was founded in 1875 by the Laconian archaeologist Panagiotis Stamatakis, on a plot designated in the Bavarian urban plan. At that time the museum comprised three galleries, but by 1934 four galleries had been added, in order to house the host of antiquities brought to light in the continuous excavations. The Sparta Archaeological Museum hosts finds from Sparta and Laconia. Today, the main exhibits are sculptures and votive offerings from the major sanctuaries. Of the rich finds from Hellenistic and Roman residences in Sparta, only fragmentary mosaic floors are displayed.
