GREEK MATHEMATICIANS

The ancient Greeks were very interested in scientific thought. They were not satisfied with just knowing the facts; they wanted to know the why and how. It should be no surprise that the Greeks were extremely successful in the area of mathematics. The mathematics we use today, and its content, are for the most part Greek. The Greeks laid down the first principles, and invented methods for solving problems. Though most people don't realize it, mathematics is a Greek science - regardless of what modern day analysis might bring.
When people look back on Greek genius, they may naturally call to mind masterpieces in Greek literature and art. But the Greeks, with their insatiable desire to know the true meaning of everything and give a rational explanation of it, were irresistibly drawn to the sciences, exact reasoning in general, and logic.
There are many famous Greek names in mathematics. One of which is Aristotle, who said he could conceive of nothing more beautiful than the objects of mathematics. Plato, delighted in geometry and the wonders of numbers, inscribed, "let no one destitute of geometry enter my doors" over the entrance to his academy. Euclid was no less typical Greek-excelling in scientific success. He is credited with just about all of modern day geometry, yet there isn't even a record of his birth or death. Thales was the first recorded mathematician to correctly predict an eclipse. Pythagoras could be the most recognizable name for anyone who has had the pleasure of taking a geometry class.
It should be noted that the time period for most of the mathematical breakthroughs in Greece did not always welcome new ideas. For example, an aspiring astronomer and mathematician Anaxagoras was imprisoned for stating that the sun wasn't a god and that the moon reflected the sun's light. Aristarchus (310 B.C. to 230 B.C.), who's luck was significantly better than that of Anaxagoras, was another successful Greek mathematician and astronomer.
The Ancient Greeks are the founders of the majority of today's mathematics and astronomy. In the time span from 600 B.C. to 250 B.C. more break-through mathematical accomplishments were made in mathematics than in any other time span of the same length.
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A chronological index of mathematicians
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