I was surfing a local newspaper site and came across this interesting article about the world’s oldest joke that can be traced back to 1900 BC. The article talks about how jokes have been recorded from a long time ago and toilet humor was as popular with the ancients as it is today.

People have been making fun of leaders such as pharaohs and kings as well as mythical monsters for ages. I guess we are still happily doing that today.

There is also a link to an article from Dave from UKTV. In there, 10 world’s oldest jokes are listed and here are the three, two from Dave and one from the news site, that I like best:

1. Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his real name is nobody. When Odysseus instructs his men to attack the Cyclops, the Cyclops shouts: “Help, nobody is attacking me!” No one comes to help. (Homer. The Odyssey 800 BC)
2. Augustus was touring his Empire and noticed a man in the crowd who bore a striking resemblance to himself. Intrigued he asked: “Was your mother at one time in service at the Palace?” “No your Highness,” he replied, “but my father was.” (Credited to the Emporer Augustus 63 BC – 29 AD)
3. The oldest British joke dates back to the 10th Century and reveals the bawdy face of the Anglo-Saxons — “What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole that it’s often poked before? Answer: A key.”
   

So, if you like jokes, then you should go over to Sun2Surf and then Dave to get your full dose of ancient jokes for a good laugh on a Friday!

Laughter can be the best medicine…