Question

read the excerpt from the odyssey. the wind that carried west from ilium brought me to ismarus, on the far shore, a strongpoint on the coast of cicones. i stormed that place and killed the men who fought. plunder we took, and we enslaved the women, to make division, equal shares to all— but on the spot i told them: back, and quickly! out to sea again! my men were mutinous, fools, on stores of wine. sheep after sheep they butchered by the surf, and shambling cattle, feasting,—while fugitives went inland, running to call to arms the main force of cicones. this was an army, trained to fight on horseback or, where the ground required, on foot. they came with dawn over that terrain like the leaves and blades of spring. so doom appeared to us, dark word of zeus for us, our evil days. which central idea should be included in a summary of this excerpt? the forces sent by cicones to stop the plundering of odysseus and his men were skilled and powerful. odysseus and his men faced challenges on the island of cicones. odysseus views the army sent by cicones as punishment from the great god zeus.

Explanation:

The excerpt describes an encounter between Odysseus and his men and the Cicons. Odysseus and his men plundered, killed the men, and enslaved the women. The Cicons then called for reinforcements and fought back. The key - event is the conflict between Odysseus' forces and the Cicons.

Answer:

The forces sent by Cicons to fight Odysseus and his men arrived during the early morning hours.