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The Cycladic Museum (see Museum of Cycladic Art) has the largest collection from this civilization, but here you’ll find some of the most unusual pieces, such as this harp-player, showing, unusually, a three-dimensional figure in action.

The highly advanced settlement of Akrotiri, on the island of Thira (Santorini), was buried under a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC. Beautiful frescoes, such as these boxer boys, were perfectly preserved under the ash.

The Mycenaeans were famed both for their prowess as warriors and their hoards of gold. Parts of those shining hoards are displayed here, including this legendary death mask and priceless golden swords.

Here the stiff, solid monuments of the Archaic period give way to sculptures that are full of vigorous movement and sensuality. This is especially so in the 100 BC group of Aphrodite, Pan and Eros, the statue of a wounded Gaul and this youth of Antikythira.

Many of the greatest Archaic and Classical works were bronze, but few remain – most were melted down for weapons during invasions. This, the richest collection of the survivors, includes a majestic 460 BC sculpture of Poseidon or Zeus and this 140 BC sculpture of a galloping horse.

Collected here are original marble sculptures from temples all around Greece. Highlights are those that adorned the Asklepion at Epidauros, and works like the 100 BC Diadoumenos and a marble copy of a 5th-century bronze by the great sculptor Polykleitos.

Classical marble grave sculptures were so large and opulent that they were actually banned in 317 BC. The scenes in these beautiful carvings typically show the deceased on the right, the bereaved on the left.

Koroi (statues of youths and maidens used at temples and graves) were the first monumental works in Greek art. The earliest are stiff and stylized, but through the centuries the artists learnt to depict the body more naturalistically.

These intricately painted vases show the development of pottery in Greece from Neolithic examples to the 4th century BC. They were largely found in cemeteries and religious sanctuaries.

This is a recent addition to the museum, and is fascinating to view in conjunction with the earliest Greek Archaic art, which borrowed heavily from Egyptian statuary before developing into its very own style. Look out for the 715 BC bronze statue of the princess-priestess Takusit.