# World's Oldest Joke **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311 "2008-02-26T23:27:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![paffinity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@paffinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paffinity)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/1 "2008-02-26T23:27:28Z")
A recent school assignment brought to my attention how important humor is to my identity; it seems a good indicator of a person’s views, and is pretty essential to being human. So that got me thinking: if humor is such an integral part of my life and others today, what were tastes like hundreds or thousands of years ago? ``` What is the oldest piece of literature you guys can find with a joke or two mentioned? ``` ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/2 "2008-02-26T23:32:00Z")
Well, I’m pretty sure there were some belly laffs in some of the ancient Greek playwrights’ work Was Aristophanes a writer of comedy? I can never keep those wacky Greeks straight… ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/3 "2008-02-26T23:47:03Z")
Yes, **Wargamer** , he was. One of his most famous works is **Lysistrata** which is a story of how Athenian women stopped a war with Sparta by refusing to have sex with their husbands. It was written around 411 BC. Anyone got an older story? I seem to remember some rather humorous norse myths. When were those written? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/4 "2008-02-26T23:48:55Z")
[Previous](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=393710) [threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=163464). ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/5 "2008-02-26T23:57:12Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] [Previous](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=393710) [threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=163464). [/QUOTE] I still think [my contribution](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7904612&postcount=13) was the definitive answer. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/6 "2008-02-27T00:06:04Z")
Agreed! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/7 "2008-02-27T01:20:40Z")
A [recent article in Smithsonian by Judith Stone](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lastpage-200802.html) lists this Egyptian gem from 2600 B.C.: > [@](#): > > Inscribed on a roll of papyrus, the hoary jape could be translated as a riddle: “How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish.” ---
**Author:** ![World\_s\_Biggest\_Caner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/779978/32.png) [@World\_s\_Biggest\_Caner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_s_Biggest_Caner)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/8 "2008-02-28T01:34:17Z")
Cecil did a question on jokes in the Bible a while back: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_244.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_244.html) Some of the Old Testament stuff could date to before the first millennium BC. I’m glad to say I think humour’s evolved bit since then… Is it fair to say humour is stronger or more evolved than ever? If so, will we as a species just get funnier and funnier or will we reach some sort of humour saturation level? ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/9 "2008-02-28T03:30:38Z")
[QUOTE=Scarlett67] I still think [my contribution](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7904612&postcount=13) was the definitive answer. 😃 [/QUOTE] Close, but the oldest known humor is where one says “I’m gonna get you!” as you tickle a baby. Baby laughs. Humor works. It’s the original giggle. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/10 "2008-02-28T03:33:42Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] A [recent article in Smithsonian by Judith Stone](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lastpage-200802.html) lists this Egyptian gem from 2600 B.C.: “How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish.” [/QUOTE] Something tells you they hadn’t quite gotten the idea of a “punchline” together yet. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/11 "2008-02-28T04:50:16Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] Something tells you they hadn’t quite gotten the idea of a “punchline” together yet. [/QUOTE] Who cares? Women in fishnets! They had the important things figured out. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/12 "2008-02-28T04:57:28Z")
“Stand back! I don’t know how big this thing gets!” ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/13 "2008-02-28T14:39:09Z")
“Walk this way.” ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/14 "2008-02-28T14:43:13Z")
A Cromagnon and a Neanderthal walk into a cave … ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/15 "2008-02-28T14:43:22Z")
“Is that a club under your bearskin or are you just pleased to see me?” ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/16 "2008-02-28T15:07:46Z")
Me wife so fat when she sits around the cave she sit AROUND the cave. Me be here all hunting season. Good night. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/17 "2008-02-28T15:34:11Z")
Try the mammoth… ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/18 "2008-02-28T17:53:38Z")
“Pull my finger…” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/19 "2008-02-28T18:01:22Z")
“I see the snake in the tree, Adam, but what’s that under your figleaf…?” ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311/20 "2008-02-28T18:03:29Z")
UG! UG! BANG BANG! UG UG! (penis ensues…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-oldest-joke/439311.md?page=2)