The Oldest Joke in History
Dating to around 1900 BCE, a Sumerian cuneiform tablet is widely cited as containing the oldest known joke: a brief line about flatulence. The text survives in fragments, but scholars interpret the humor as a breach of social risk—bodily functions, power, and polite restraint. The joke’s punchline and its social punch come from turning embarrassment into communal relief, a pattern echoed across ages.
