The Platonic Academy (428 – 327 BC) was not shy about its profile as an exclusive place. Only the finest of minds were allowed into this space.
An inscription at the entrance read, “Only mathematicians may proceed beyond this point.” It was a sacrosanct place, like the Holy of the Holies in the ancient Church of Jerusalem. Only the initiated were allowed access. Mathematics was, of course, understood in a broader sense than we narrowly perceive it today.