Which excerpt from The Odyssey best shows that the ancient Greeks greatly valued the idea of home?

What of those years
of rough adventure, weathered under Zeus?
The wind that carried us west from Ilium
brought me to Ismarus, on the far shore,
a strongpoint on the coast of Cicones.
And this new grief we bore with us to sea:
our precious lives we had, but not our friends.
No ship made sail next day until some shipmate
had raised a cry, three times, for each poor ghost
unfleshed by the Cicones on that field.
They fell in, soon enough, with Lotus-Eaters,
who showed no will to do us harm, only
offering the sweet Lotus to our friends—
but those who ate this honeyed plant, the Lotus,
never cared to report, nor to return:
My home is on the peaked sea-mark of Ithaca
under Mount Neion's wind-blown robe of leaves,
in sight of other islands—Dulichium,
Same, wooded Zacynthus—Ithaca
being most lofty in that coastal sea,

1 answer

The excerpt that best shows the ancient Greeks' value of home is:

"My home is on the peaked sea-mark of Ithaca under Mount Neion's wind-blown robe of leaves, in sight of other islands—Dulichium, Same, wooded Zacynthus—Ithaca being most lofty in that coastal sea."

This passage highlights the protagonist's deep yearning for home, representing not just a physical location but also emotional ties and belonging. The specific mention of Ithaca, the fond description of its landscape, and the contrast to his travels emphasize the significance of returning to one's homeland, illustrating the profound attachment the ancient Greeks had to their places of origin.