This was a large multi-function room capable of seating the bulk of the population of the house. The family would sit at the head table on a raised dais, with the rest of the population arrayed in order of diminishing rank away from them. Tables in the great hall would tend to be long trestle tables with benches.
Protozoan Cyst is a defense mechanism in the Protozoan family. It takes this form according to the conditions of the host. A change in pH, a change in oxygen supplies, anything that trigers the genetic mechanism. The cyst is evacuated trough the sediment. You could say that Cyst are a defense mechanism.
Description of Isospora. Isospora: Infection with parasitic protozoa of the genus ISOSPORA, producing intestinal disease. It is caused by ingestion of oocysts and can produce tissue cysts. Isospora: A genus of protozoan parasites found in the intestines of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, including man. The oocysts produce two sporocysts, each with four sporozoites. Many species are parasitic in wild and domestic animals.