[close] This new study looks at the subject of halls and feasting in Anglo-Saxon England. The idea of the communal meal was very important in the period among nobles and yeomen, churchmen and laity, warriors and farmers. One of the main aims of the book is to show that there was not just one 'feast' but two main types: the informal social occasion gebeorscipe and the formal, ritual gathering symbel. Using the evidence of Old English texts - mainly the epic Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Stephen Pollington shows that the idea of feasting remained central to Anglo-Saxon social traditions long after the physical reality had declined in importance. The words of the poets and saga-writers are supported by a wealth of archaeological data dealing with halls, settlement layouts and magnificent feasting gear found in many early Anglo-Saxon graves. Three appendices cover hall-themes in Old English verse; OE and translated texts; and the structure and origin! s of the warband. [close]