This paper presents the life of ancient city of Narona based on the results of archaeological research carried out from the end of 19th to the late 20th century in the area of the village of Vid. In addition to this, the development of Narona is shown through the history and activities of the Narona Archaeological Museum. The presentation of the rise and fall of one of the major cities on the Adriatic Sea at that time is based on the study of written sources and research results. Narona used to be an important trading, administrative and judicial centre of the wider region. Great attention is given to the research that took place on different locations explored by Carl Patsch, Ivan Marovic, Frane Buskariol, Nenad Cambi and Emilio Marin. The initial study was not a great success because it was financially poor. An additional problem was the swamp mud which made the course of research, but on the other hand, it was this mud that has helped to preserve the value of ancient Narona. The city walls, the Ereš towers, the Ereš bogs, St. Vid Church, the basilica in the route of the aqueduct, the forum, Augusteum which is the most representative site. The value of Augusteum is precisely in its integrity and the total number of 21 sculptures found there, which makes this group of imperial statues the largest group in the world together with the Roman Ara Pacis. It is this discovery that raised the question of how to preserve and present the precious findings in a better way. The decision was made to build a museum in situ, the first of its kind in the Republic of Croatia.