Smutty jokes carved in stone since 1900BC

02 July 2015 - 02:17 By Graeme Hosken

The world's oldest known joke was written on a tablet - not an iPad or Samsung, but a chunk of solid stone. In celebration of International Joke Day, some of the world's best, worst and oldest jokes emerged yesterday.The oldest known joke has been traced to 1900BC and suggests a form of toilet humour that was apparently very popular with the ancients.It is linked to the Sumerians, who lived in what is now southern Iraq and goes: "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap."Then there's the 1600BC joke about a pharaoh, said to be King Snofru. "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."Much can get lost in translation - and in mists of time."A shared social context allows for instant recognition, and thus the set-up is easily achieved without a lengthy explanation that would damage the joke or give a hint at the punchline," explains website Libcom.org."This explains why many jokes have the same set-up, eg 'three men go into a pub'. It makes it instantly recognisable as a joke."Observational comedy in particular is reliant on this shared context," said Libcom.Among the best jokes to make South African airwaves yesterday was:"What happens if you cross an elephant with a porcupine? You get your funding pulled and referred to the ethics committee." - Additional reporting by Reuters, © The Daily Telegraph..

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