Laughter has echoed through human history long before comedy clubs or cartoons.
If you’ve ever wondered what was the first joke ever made, you’re not alone.
Humor is deeply rooted in culture and language, often serving as a window into ancient societies.
Whether it’s a fart joke from Mesopotamia or a playful pun from old English texts, early jokes reveal how our ancestors found joy, coped with hardship, and connected with one another.
In this guide, we’ll dive into the oldest and oddest jokes from history, religion, and culture—and yes, there will be plenty of emojis to lighten the ancient mood.
Oldest English Joke
- 😂 What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole it’s often poked before? A key
- 😆 How many Anglo-Saxons does it take to light a candle? Just one, but he’ll write a poem about it
- 🤣 What did the monk say after dropping his ale? That’s a holy spill
- 😜 Knock knock. Who’s there? Ye olde. Ye olde who? Ye olde one-two punchline
- 😁 Why did the scribe refuse to finish his scroll? He ran out of papyrus and patience
- 😄 How do medieval lords laugh? With a jester-full heart
- 🧐 What’s the oldest pickup line? “Thou art finer than a sheep with golden wool”
- 😂 What did the knight say to the cook? This stew is a siege on my tastebuds
- 😆 Why did the bard quit performing? Too many critics throwing turnips
- 🤣 How does a blacksmith flirt? With smoldering glances and forged compliments
- 😅 What did the Viking say to the owl? Who raids at night?
- 🫢 Why did the ox cross the cobblestone path? To escape the dinner menu
- 😁 What’s an English peasant’s favorite dance? The harvest hustle
- 🤪 How do you confuse a Norman soldier? Ask him to spell “conquer”
- 😄 Why did the baker become famous? He rose to the occasion every time
First Joke Ever Dog
- 🐶 Why did the dog sit near the fire in ancient times? He wanted to be a hot dog
- 🐾 What did the caveman say to his dog? Stay! And then he invented loyalty
- 😂 Why was the ancient dog a philosopher? Because he always pawsed for thought
- 🐕 What did the Sumerian dog bark? Woof is eternal
- 😆 Why did the Roman dog wear a toga? To bark in Latin
- 🤣 What do you call a prehistoric dog prank? A dino-bark
- 🐾 Why was the Pharaoh’s dog famous? He was the first pup-arazzi
- 😜 What did the ancient Greek dog study? Bark-itecture
- 😁 Why did the dog chase his tail during the Dark Ages? Because there were no balls to fetch
- 🐶 How did the medieval dog win hearts? With a bark and a bow
- 🤪 What was the dog’s favorite ancient joke? Anything with a bone punchline
- 😂 Why did the tribal chief love his dog? Best hunter and howler-in-chief
- 😅 What did the Viking dog say? Bark and raid
- 🐕 Why did the temple dog bark during sermons? He wanted to raise the woof
- 😄 How did ancient dogs flirt? With puppy eyes and ancient howls
Oldest Joke Sumerian
- 💨 What’s the oldest recorded joke? Something that has never happened—a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap
- 😂 Why did the Sumerians laugh? Because flatulence was peak comedy
- 😆 What did the scribe write next to the king’s joke? “Extremely humorous” in cuneiform
- 🤣 How did the priest react to the joke? With divine laughter
- 😅 Why did the goat stop at the temple? To avoid hearing another fart joke
- 😜 What did the potter say to the baker? Your humor’s a bit… earthy
- 😁 What was the Sumerian pick-up line? You make me laugh like a temple jester
- 🤪 What joke made the crowd erupt in Ur? The fart joke, again
- 😂 Why were Sumerian jokes short? Clay tablets had limited space
- 😄 How did the gods respond to jokes? With thunderous giggles
- 🫢 Why did they write jokes on tablets? So even time couldn’t erase the punchline
- 💨 What’s the official joke of ancient Sumer? Fart jokes forever
- 😂 Why did the merchant chuckle? He heard it in Babylon first
- 😆 What did the fisherman say? I caught a joke that stinks
- 🤣 Why didn’t the scribe erase the joke? It was too funny to delete
Top 10 Oldest Jokes
- 💨 The Sumerian fart joke
- 🫢 Egyptian pun about a drunk crocodile
- 😆 Babylonian jester’s riddle about camels
- 😂 Ancient Greek wordplay on “nose” and “knows”
- 😜 A Roman prank about politicians and pigs
- 😅 Sanskrit riddle about lazy monks
- 😁 Hebrew joke about manna from heaven
- 🤣 Old English double entendre
- 😄 Viking insult involving helmets
- 🐪 Arabian tale about a camel’s bad breath
Oldest Joke in the World Fart
- 💨 Why is the fart joke eternal? Because every culture thinks it’s funny
- 😂 What did the Pharaoh say? Who broke wind in the temple?
- 😆 Why did the oracle laugh? She heard the winds of prophecy
- 🤣 How did the cavemen entertain each other?
- 😜 What did the priest do after the noise? Blamed the spirits
- 😅 What’s the oldest indoor air pollution? Ancient flatulence
- 😂 Why was the scribe blushing? He inked while laughing
- 😄 How did the king silence the court? He didn’t. He laughed first
- 🫢 Why was the tablet passed down? Best punchline in history
- 💨 How do historians know it’s a fart joke? The reaction’s universal
- 🤪 Why is this joke still told? It speaks to the soul… and stomach
- 😁 What did the Mesopotamian say? Silent but deadly
- 😂 How did the bard introduce the joke? “Gather close for a tale of wind and wonder!”
- 😆 Why was the jester promoted? His gas passed the test
- 😅 What’s the royal seal of approval? A chuckle after a fart
What Was the First Joke Ever Made in the Bible
- 📖 What did Sarah say to Abraham? “You’re 100, and I’m still laughing”
- 😂 Why did Balaam’s donkey speak? Comic relief on the road
- 😄 What’s Moses’ idea of a joke? Parting ways… literally
- 😆 Why did Noah bring two of everything? Even bad puns
- 🤣 How did Samson prank the Philistines? Tied foxes together—biblical mischief
- 😅 What did Eve say to Adam? That fruit joke is old
- 😁 Why did Jonah laugh in the whale? He had a captive audience
- 🫢 What did Jesus say to Peter? “You’re a rock… with comedic timing”
- 😂 What did God do after creating man? He took a rest and laughed
- 😜 Why did Cain say “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Classic deadpan humor
- 🤪 How did prophets keep spirits high? With divine puns
- 😆 What’s the oldest biblical pun? Manna… can’t live with it, can’t live without it
- 😂 What did the angel say to Mary? “Blessed art thou… and hilarious too”
- 😅 Why did Job keep faith? Even in tragedy, he had humor
- 😁 What’s the punchline of Revelation? You had to be there
What Was the First Joke Ever Made in the World
- 💨 The Sumerian flatulence joke
- 😂 The Egyptian riddle involving animals and beer
- 🤣 The ancient Babylonian wife joke
- 😄 A Greek satire of philosophers
- 😜 Indian Sanskrit riddle of lazy students
- 🫢 Hebrew joke about desert food
- 😁 Chinese pun on bamboo and breath
- 😆 Early African folklore trickster tales
- 🐪 Arabian jokes told by traders
- 💨 Roman soldier joke about foot odor
- 😂 Polynesian humor about coconuts
- 😄 Inuit laughter about ice fishing fails
- 🤪 Mayan calendar joke about time
- 🤣 Aboriginal tale of a talking wallaby
- 😅 Celtic riddle involving druids and mead
What Was the First Joke Ever Made in History
- 💨 The Sumerian fart joke takes the top spot again
- 😂 Considered the earliest record of intentional humor
- 😆 Found on a clay tablet dated around 1900 BCE
- 🤣 Served as a form of social commentary
- 🫢 Shows early recognition of shared human experience
- 😁 Even ancient civilizations loved a laugh
- 😄 Humor evolved but basic themes remain
- 😜 Evidence that comedy is universal
- 🤪 Not just entertainment—tools for connection
- 😂 Helps historians understand human nature
- 😅 Oldest jokes usually deal with body, food, or relationships
- 🤣 Farts, sex, and power: themes that endure
- 😁 Reflects oral storytelling traditions
- 💨 Carved into stone yet light as air
- 😂 Timeless proof we’ve always loved to laugh
Conclusion
From ancient fart jokes in Sumer to witty tales in the Bible, the evolution of humor reveals a deeply human desire: to laugh, connect, and find joy even in the simplest moments. These ancient jokes might be old, but their charm still gets a chuckle today—proof that laughter truly is timeless.
