In my view, the Cyclopes cannot be considered a true civilization. Each Cyclops lives in isolation rather than as part of a community, and they lack the basic structures that define organized societies, such as laws, shared governance, and agriculture
Odysseus and his men discover an island and decide to explore. They find a cave that appears to be inhabited and wait for its owner, who turns out to be a Cyclops. When the Cyclops finds Odysseus and his men, he rolls a massive stone across the entrance to trap them inside and proceeds to eat two of the men. That night he goes to sleep, and the next morning he eats two more men before letting his sheep out to graze, rolling the stone back in place behind him. Odysseus devises a plan to escape: when the giant returns, he introduces himself as “Nobody” and offers the Cyclops wine. The giant drinks the wine, becomes drunk, and falls asleep. Odysseus then sharpens a stick, hardens it in the fire, and plunges it into the Cyclops’ eye. The blinded giant cries out, “Help! Nobody is attacking me!” so the other Cyclopes ignore him. In the morning, as the Cyclops lets his sheep out, Odysseus and his men hide underneath them and escape. Once they reach their ship, Odysseus, overcome with pride, reveals his true name, prompting the Cyclops to call upon Poseidon to curse him and his men.
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