Major Throwback Thursday: 30 Sumerian Memes That Are Sure to Make You Nostalgic for a Time With No Cellphones In Sight— Only Ziggurats and Mud Tablets

Often skimmed through in school curriculums in favor of Ancient Greece and Rome, Sumer was the oldest known civilization. We have a lot to thank them for: irrigation, agriculture, the invention of the wheel, bureaucracy, bronze metallurgy, and the world's oldest recorded joke. Found inscribed on a mud tablet in cuneiform script, it reads, "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap." Yes, it was a fart joke. And no, we haven't changed a bit as humans in the last 4,000 years. The oldest bar joke is also attributed to these ancient peoples. Roughly translated, it goes like this: "A dog entered into a tavern and said, "I cannot see anything. I shall open this." It's a real head-scratcher for historians and internet commenters alike, but likely it was a pun whose meaning is forever lost to the sands of time.

Humor has always been an essential tool for communication between humans of all cultures and time periods. It can be used for entertainment, for manipulation, for coping, and it can even be used for teaching and learning. While some memes in this bundle are more "advanced" than others, you don't need a doctorate in archaeology to connect with the cradle of civilization— just a bit of humanity and a sense of humor!

Posted by Ely Bulnes