World's Oldest Joke Traced to Sumeria in 1900 B.C.

1. JennaJameson
   July 31st, 2008 at 10:10 am

   LOL

2. edc
   July 31st, 2008 at 10:21 am

   ah, that OLD chestnut.

3. jodie
   July 31st, 2008 at 10:28 am

   so, is it commonplace with older women or...

4. Justin
   July 31st, 2008 at 11:02 am

   mmmmm Fart Jokes.... I feel embarrassed about my humanity!

5. TheGoodReverend
   July 31st, 2008 at 11:28 am

   Still better than the ones on Popsicle sticks.

6. Anthony
   July 31st, 2008 at 11:56 am

   I thought Numbers 12:3 was older.

7. Thomas
   July 31st, 2008 at 12:39 pm

   Numbers 12:3 "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."

   I don't get it. Maybe as a heathen I don't get Bible humor.

8. tripleX
   July 31st, 2008 at 1:03 pm

   I'm not sure if I get the joke.
   If never a girl did not fart in his lap does it mean they always fart in his lap? Maybe all young brides are nervous? Or they always get blamed for their husbands farts?
   Actually I know girls who fart a little when they get intimate or aroused. Always thought it had something to do with female anatomy and blood flowing down. Maybe in Sumerian culture they proudly let it rip?

   As a modern joke I guess it means: young women will never admit a fart in their husbands lap. More true in the 50's than today, but I would get the joke.
   Then again, maybe they held it in to show respect, or in fear? Maybe it's not a joke at all? Could very well be Moses' 11th Commandment.
   Maybe it's just me. And the 4000 year old fart funny enough by itself, whatever they meant.

9. Neatoramawontsendmeapassword
   July 31st, 2008 at 1:20 pm

   Looks like they had sarcasm back then, too.

10. ted
    July 31st, 2008 at 5:07 pm

    Sumerians didn't believe in finger-pulling.

11. FlappyGums
    July 31st, 2008 at 9:24 pm

    I am 34297xx from the future. We also laugh at farts. Please publish, Reuters.

12. thommy
    July 31st, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    Not true, the world's oldest joke was the first Australopithecus to fart in another's face.

13. Thomas
    August 1st, 2008 at 12:26 am

    My. God. I just got that crappy Numbers joke. It took me all day. May not be the first, but that's certainly the worst. Congratulations, you have told the worst joke ever. And I fell for it. Kudos, sir.

14. delta Libnitz
    August 1st, 2008 at 2:50 am

    Without knowing the requisite cultural context to frame the meaning, how do they know that the saying is intended as a "joke" (other than the fact it mentions farting), or is even the proper translation?

    I certainly don't know what it means; and I bet if you got 5 anthropologists together, they couldn't agree either.

    Or maybe I'm wrong, but the news article didn't illuminate anything.

15. delta Libnitz
    August 1st, 2008 at 3:10 am

    Worse than I thought. This "study" wasn't even a study, but some very superficial research done for a TV show.

    Their 10th "oldest" joke is from the 5th century! Pathetic. Terrible, terrible science reporting from Reuters and the media.

    http://www.birminghampost.net/news/2008/07/31/wolverhampton-researcher s-discover-world-s-oldest-joke-65233-21445845/

16. LH
    August 1st, 2008 at 11:39 am

    haha thommy

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