Built in 1874–1876, Sparta's Archaeological Museum was the first museum in a Greek provincial town designed from the start as a museum. Its collection began with 288 objects and now includes sculpture, mosaic floors, pottery, figurines, inscriptions and the clay masks from the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia.
Its most famous piece is the marble bust of a Spartan warrior known as 'Leonidas'. The museum is currently closed for a major renovation, supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation – check before you go.