Without humor life does not progress and it is clear that the Sumerians, the Ancient Egyptians and, of course, the Ancient Greeks knew this.
- Barber's joke, 300-400 AD.
It comes from the pages of the oldest surviving book of jokes from around the world, a 4th-century text entitled Philogelos, attributed to the ancient Greek comedians and writers Hierocles and Philagrius. The text is as follows:
"When asked by the court barber how he wanted his hair cut, the king replied: 'Silently'...
- Funny for those short of 300-400 AD wit.
Another anecdote from the same text concerns a favorite comic subject of the Ancient Greeks, the idiot.
Another anecdote from the same text concerns a favorite comic subject of the Ancient Greeks, the idiot.
"Wanting to teach his donkey not to eat, a pedagogue did not give him food," the text reads.
"When the donkey died of hunger, he said: I have had a great loss! After he had learned not to eat, he died"...
- Roman Joke About Moms 63 BC – 14 AD
The Roman Empire was an advanced society, so humor was an integral part of its everyday life, as the following joke proves.
The Roman Empire was an advanced society, so humor was an integral part of its everyday life, as the following joke proves.
"The emperor Augustus was touring the empire when he noticed in the crowd a man who bore a striking resemblance to himself."
Impressed, he asked him: "Was your mother once in the service of the palace?" "No, Your Highness," replied the man, "but my father was"…
-"Dirty" joke of the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, 30 BC.
The joke is believed to have been written around the same year that Mark Antony and Cleopatra killed themselves by snakebite, and they certainly wouldn't have died laughing.
The joke is believed to have been written around the same year that Mark Antony and Cleopatra killed themselves by snakebite, and they certainly wouldn't have died laughing.
"Man is more willing to associate than the donkey. His wallet is what holds him back”…
- Classic joke from Ancient Greece 429 BC.
A more sophisticated joke than Sophocles' Oedipus the Tyrant.
A more sophisticated joke than Sophocles' Oedipus the Tyrant.
"Question: What animal walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon and three at night?"
Answer: The animal that walks on two legs? Human. He walks on all fours as a baby, on two legs as a man, and uses a cane in his old age”…
-"Nobody" Ancient Greece again 800 BC
From Homer's Odyssey the next joke with a deep meaning.
Traveling back to Greece after the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus and his crew are captured by a Cyclops who threatens to eat them all.
Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his real name is "None". When Odysseus then orders his men to attack the Cyclops, the Cyclops shouts, "Help, the Nobody is attacking me!" So he didn't get help from anywhere.
- Joke for married couples 1,100 BC
"A woman who was blind in one eye has been married to a man for 20 years," reads the jokey text of unknown origin. When he found another woman, he said to her: "I will divorce you because you are blind in one eye."
And she answered him: "Did you find this out just now, after 20 years of marriage?"
- Joke – Riddle 1,200 BC
The comedy of the ancient world did not always involve the well-known line. For example this joke from the Sumerian era goes like this:
The comedy of the ancient world did not always involve the well-known line. For example this joke from the Sumerian era goes like this:
"Three oxen drivers from Adab were thirsty: one had the ox, one the cow, and one the wagon load."
"The owner of the ox refused to go to fetch water because he was afraid that his ox would be eaten by a lion. The owner of the cow refused because he thought his cow might wander off and get lost in the desert. The owner of the carriage refused because he was afraid that his cargo would be stolen.
"So they all went together. In their absence, the ox made love to the cow, which gave birth to a calf, which ate the wagon's load.'
"Problem: Who owns the calf?"...
- The first sex joke from Ancient Egypt 1,800 – 1,600 BC.
The pharaoh that this joke is said to be about is King Snefru.
The pharaoh that this joke is said to be about is King Snefru.
“How do you entertain a bored pharaoh?” goes the particular joke.
“You send a boat full of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge Pharaoh to go catch a fish”…
- The oldest joke in the world 1900 BC
The oldest joke in the world is a Sumerian proverb, written 4,000 years ago. This is the first recorded piece of humor in human history.
The oldest joke in the world is a Sumerian proverb, written 4,000 years ago. This is the first recorded piece of humor in human history.
"Something that has never happened since time immemorial..." he says.
"A young woman did not cry in her husband's arms"...
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