The Archaeological Museum of Split is the oldest and most important museum in Croatia, housing around 150,000 objects from prehistoric, Greek, Roman, early Christian, and medieval Dalmatia. The core collection comes from Salona — the great Roman provincial capital 5km north of Split, which was destroyed in the 7th century and has never been rebuilt — giving it a depth that no other museum on this coast can match.
The lapidary garden behind the building is the easiest part to get to grips with: inscribed stone blocks, sarcophagi, and architectural fragments laid out chronologically, covering the long sweep from Greek colonisation through Roman settlement to early medieval Croatia. The interior galleries are more dense but richly rewarding if you have the context. The Greek material from Issa (the island of Vis) is outstanding. The museum is a 20-minute walk north of the old town on Ul. Zrinsko-frankopanska.