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In this paper we give an overview regarding the development of the mathematical community in Greece, which began with the foundation of the University of Athens. In spite of the numerous difficulties due to a variety of factors such as lack of general textbooks, existence of few university courses, small number of students, political instability, financial problems, the pioneers of the University of Athens tried to fulfill two difficult aims i.e. to train teachers for secondary education and at the same time to detect among their very few students the outstanding ones in order to send them to Western Europe universities (mainly in France or in Germany) to continue their studies.

When the mathematics department acquired its autonomy in 1904, detaching itself from the department of philosophy, the mathematical community starts to expand. The variety of handbooks, the seminars, the advanced lectures by distinguished professors internationally well known contributed to the development of mathematics in Greece.