The history of the kiss
QUESTION When was kissing first described in literature?
KISSING is so ubiquitous in Western culture we think everyone does it, but it’s not as globally and historically common as you might think.
Researchers from the University of nevada and indiana University found of 168 cultures studied worldwide, only 77 kiss romantically. in the history of mankind, it seems to be a late substitute for the rubbing of noses or sniffing.
The word kiss didn’t enter the English language until 1300. it comes from the Old English cyssan, which means to touch with the lips.
The earliest written record of romantic kissing dates from the late Vedic period in india. in a supplement to a commentary known as the satapatha Brahmana (c.5-600BC), kissing forms part of an intimate encounter between lovers, and is described as ‘setting mouth to mouth’.
A famous early example dates from the 4th century BC. in the Mahabharata, the great sanskrit epic of ancient india, the son of a religious recluse had not enjoyed a young man’s usual privileges, so it was a novelty to him to be embraced. He told his father: ‘(she) set her mouth to my mouth and made a noise and that produced pleasure in me.’
some anthropologists have suggested the greeks learned about erotic kissing from the indians when Alexander the great invaded india in 326 BC. The Kama sutra, which dates to the 2nd century, devotes a chapter to different types of kisses.
in the Bible, The song Of solomon, which celebrates sexual love, has one of the lovers imploring: ‘ Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.’
The Romans kissed their partners or lovers, family and friends, and rulers. They distinguished a kiss on the hand or cheek ( osculum) from one on the lips ( basium) and a passionate kiss ( savolium).
Diane Webber, Kenilworth, Warks.
QUESTION Other than the main characters, which actors have appeared most often in Midsomer Murders?
WITH 21 seasons and 126 episodes under its belt, it’s no surprise Midsomer Murders requires an element of recycling to keep the background cast ticking over. it has become a parlour game for fans of the show to spot the same actor or actress in different roles. There are well over 100 who have appeared as two characters, and 12 who have appeared in three roles.
Caroline Lintott, who had small roles in various TV shows from the 1990s such as soldier soldier and The Bill, has made four appearances: as a travel agent in sins Of Commission (2004); sally Middleton in The straw Woman (2004); Jen in Ring Out Your Dead (2002); and a researcher in Death in Disguise (1998).
The queen of the Midsomer walk-on is Victoria Lennox, who also appeared in soldier soldier and The Bill. she has featured in five episodes: as a ghost walk tourist in The silent Land (2010); a librarian in The Black Book (2009); Doris Marple in Vixen’s Run (2006); Mrs Maitland in Orchis Fatalis (2005); and as ‘woman in audience’ in Things That go Bump in The night (2004).
Kerry Miles, London E14.
QUESTION Did medieval folk drink small beer instead of water?
SMALL beer is a term used for a low-calorie drink imbibed by the common man in medieval Britain. it was an ale made from grain and water, and fermented with yeast. Unlike beer, it was not made from hops.
small beer might be favoured over water because it provided nutrition as well as hydration. Contrary to popular belief, it was not drunk to the exclusion of water.
Records from the time suggest potable water was plentiful and commonly drunk because it was free. Medieval villages and towns were built around fresh running water, a spring or well.
in larger towns, there was infrastructure to supply water to citizens. in 1236, construction of a system of pipes began in London. it was designed to move water from a fresh spring to a pumping house that would, in turn, make fresh water available at cisterns throughout the city. There were fines for trades, such as tanners, that polluted the water.
Did people at the time prefer alcoholic drinks? Probably, and for the same reason many enjoy them today. A young man in a 10th-century saxon colloquy is asked what he drinks and answers: ‘Beer if i have it or water if i have no beer.’
Beer was seen as a better drink than water for workers and farmers in need of energy. But it would still have been costly and required the availability of barley.
some healers preached in favour of ale over water. st Hildegard of Bingen, writing in the middle of the 12th century in Causes And Cures, said: ‘Whether one is healthy or infirm, if one is thirsty after sleeping one should drink wine or beer, but not water. For water might damage rather than help one’s blood and humours . . . Beer fattens the flesh and . . . lends a beautiful colour to the face. Water, however, weakens a person.’
Alan Marsh, Bury, Lancs.
QUESTION Was the film The Bridge On The River Kwai mostly fiction?
FURTHER to the earlier answer, for 77 years the memory of Kami sonkurai camp has never left me. Aged 100, i may well be the last man standing of those who toiled on the railway.
The camp was a few miles from the Burma border at the Three Pagoda Pass. in addition to building embankments we worked on a trestle bridge over a tributary of the Kwai at a camp called nikki.
The Bridge On The River Kwai did not come close to depicting the horror of the place. if someone wants to make a true version, i’d gladly help as adviser.
Jack Ransom, Largs, Ayrshire.
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