I am always intrigued by things like this. The curiosity of the human mind is bottomless (as it were).
V
Breaking wind joke is world's oldest: study Fri Aug 1
LONDON (AFP) - A gag about breaking wind which had people laughing 4,000 years ago is the world's oldest joke, according to a survey released on Friday.
"Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap," goes the joke dating from 1900 BC which originated in what is now southern Iraq.
The top 10 of oldest jokes, compiled by academics, features randy pharaohs, dead donkeys and ox drivers.
Paul McDonald, from the University of Wolverhampton in central England, who led the study, said: "Jokes have varied over the years, with some taking the question and answer format, while others are witty proverbs or riddles.
"What they all share, however, is a willingness to deal with taboos and a degree of rebellion."
The study defined a joke as having a clear set-up and punchline, a tradition which was traced back to 1900 BC.
And it appears that some things never change. Egyptian pharaohs were just as likely to be the butt of humour thousands of years ago as world leaders are today, according to one joke from 1600 BC.
"How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? Sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile -- and urge the pharaoh to go fishing."
The oldest British joke is a bawdy gag from the 10th century which employs the traditional question and answer format.
"What hangs at a man's thigh and wants to poke the hole that it's often poked before? A key."
V
Breaking wind joke is world's oldest: study Fri Aug 1
LONDON (AFP) - A gag about breaking wind which had people laughing 4,000 years ago is the world's oldest joke, according to a survey released on Friday.
"Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap," goes the joke dating from 1900 BC which originated in what is now southern Iraq.
The top 10 of oldest jokes, compiled by academics, features randy pharaohs, dead donkeys and ox drivers.
Paul McDonald, from the University of Wolverhampton in central England, who led the study, said: "Jokes have varied over the years, with some taking the question and answer format, while others are witty proverbs or riddles.
"What they all share, however, is a willingness to deal with taboos and a degree of rebellion."
The study defined a joke as having a clear set-up and punchline, a tradition which was traced back to 1900 BC.
And it appears that some things never change. Egyptian pharaohs were just as likely to be the butt of humour thousands of years ago as world leaders are today, according to one joke from 1600 BC.
"How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? Sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile -- and urge the pharaoh to go fishing."
The oldest British joke is a bawdy gag from the 10th century which employs the traditional question and answer format.
"What hangs at a man's thigh and wants to poke the hole that it's often poked before? A key."
