Greece is a country filled with so much history and culture. Most of the evidence of this rich history can be seen in physical places such as Delphi, Peloponnese, and Athens, but there’s also so much to be seen in museums around the country. The most important artifacts from many of the archaeological sites around the country are housed in several museums. Each of these museums presents cultural, historical, and artistic materials that encompass different periods of the country's history; hence one might have visited more than one of the museums to get a broader understanding of the country. Without further ado, here are some museums to check out while in Greece.

10 Museum Of Prehistoric Thera, Santorini

Santorini is not just a place of luxurious hotels and beautiful white sand beaches with turquoise water. It is also a place of history and culture, and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera is one of the best places to learn about this history. This museum located in Fira houses artifacts from many excavations in Santorini, and many of them date to the Late Neolithic Period and the Cycladic Period.

9 National Archaeological Museum, Athens

The National Archaeological Museum in Greece is perhaps the most popular in the country. The materials presented here cover Ancient Greek and Roman history. This is the museum to see some of the best artworks of Greek Mythology as well as several popular characters known to the Ancient Greek World.

8 The Archaeological Museum Of Thessaloniki

The materials in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki encompass the Archaic to Roman, Classical, and Hellenistic periods in Greek history. Exhibitions in this museum include Greek and Roman Sculptures, many of which were excavated from Thessaloniki and the larger Macedonian area.

7 The Archaeological Museum Of Olympia

Modern Olympics traces its root to the ancient city of Olympia. The games were originally dedicated to the gods and people traveled from all over the ancient Greek world to witness this epic event that usually lasted for up to five days. This ancient event was held once every four years for more than a thousand years until it was eventually abolished by Emperor Theodosius in 393 AD. The history of this event is now being presented at the Archaeological Museum Of Olympia. Besides presenting the most detailed history of the ancient Olympic Games, this museum also contains findings from the sanctuary of Zeus and many other interesting exhibits that date thousands of years from Prehistoric to Roman times.

6 The Archaeological Museum Of Delphi

Delphi was a highly important religious site that hosted the Oracle of Delphi - the most powerful oracle in Ancient Greece. Although the original archaeological site of Delphi can still be seen today, most of the important findings from this site are now housed in the Archaeological Museum of Delphi. Visitors here will be presented with artistic and historical materials that go in-depth into revealing the rituals and religious activities that occurred here thousands of years ago.

Related: Delphi Was Known For This In Greece (& You'll Learn Why When You Visit)

5 The Acropolis Museum, Athens

The Acropolis remains one of the world’s most important archaeological sites. This hill birthed philosophy, Democracy, Theatre, and freedom of Speech and Expression. Due to its significance to the world, the Acropolis Museum was created to house the history and artifacts from this hilltop. Visitors to this museum will be presented with materials that cover the long history of Athens and artifacts that date thousands of years ago.

4 The Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete

Ancient Greece saw the emergence of a lot of great civilizations with unique cultures and creative works. The Minoan Civilization is one such civilization, and it emerged on the Greek Island of Crete during the Bronze Age. While the civilization was known for its complex structures and extensive writing systems, its impressive art is its finest export. This art was known as Minoan art, and the best place in the world to see the finest examples of this art is the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Besides just the impressive art, this museum holds other important artifacts of the Minoan Civilization and other prehistoric materials from the Island of Crete that spans over 5,500 years through the Neolithic and Roman times.

Related: 10 Fun Things To Do On The Beautiful Island Of Crete

3 Museum Of Cycladic Art, Athens

Athens does not just host museums with materials that concern its history. It also has museums that contain materials from other islands around Greece. The Museum of Cycladic Art is one such museum. This museum hosts over 3,000 artifacts that focus on Cyprus and the Cyclades. With artworks dating as far back as 5,000 years ago, this museum is one of the most important in Greece and worth a visit.

2 National Historical Museum, Athens

Greece may have been a place of numerous epic battles and several ancient civilizations, but it’s now a peaceful nation in Europe that has a functioning government. While its Ancient history is what interests many, the history of Greek independence is also important and worth telling the future generations. This is one of the reasons the National Historical Museum was created, and visitors to this museum will be presented with materials that shed more light on the Greek Revolution and the creation of the modern Greek nation known to the world today.

1 Museum Of Byzantine Culture, Thessaloniki

The Byzantine Empire was one of the numerous foreign civilizations that occupied Greek territory for over a thousand years. During this period, Byzantine culture and architecture were infused into Greek society. Much of this history of the Byzantine period in Greece can still be seen today in Byzantine structures all over the country. For a more in-depth look at this history, however, the Museum of Byzantine Culture is the best place to go. The museum houses thousands of exhibits that tell the history of the early Christian churches and many other things that happened in Greece during the Byzantine Empire.