The Schimatari Archaeological Museum, built in 1890, is the earliest in Boeotia. It was founded at the expense of the Archaeological Society to house finds mainly from the cemeteries of Tanagra or which had been retrieved in the field, and also finds from the first excavations conducted by the Archaeological Society. A large number of grave stelai was all that remained after the looting of ancient tombs at the beginning of the 1870s. The objective of these illegal excavations, the superb clay figurines known as Tanagra figurines,, were mostly smuggled abroad.
The museum closed in 1983 for repairs and modernization. The aim was to reopen it in a new form, with its display enriched by the finds from recent rescue excavations. The renovated Schimatari Archaeological Museum opened its doors to the public in 2006. Through the exhibits in the new, permanent display, most of them finds from tombs, visitors can follow the evolution of the art of Tanagra over the centuries and acquaint themselves with the history of exhibits and the myths, cults and burial practices associated with them. The inscriptions constitute authentic, living testimony to the ancient history of the area and provide information relating to festivals, the economy, the administration, and cultural and economic contacts with other regions. Recent investigations have provided additional evidence for the historical and monumental topography of the area.
The objects on the display in the courtyard and the five rooms of the Museum cover an interval ranging from prehistoric times to the Early Christian period.
Source: agiosthomas.50webs.com/per_museum_eng.htm