The world's oldest recorded joke has been traced back to
1900BC and suggests toilet humour was as popular with the ancients as
it is today.

It is a saying of 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."

It heads the world's oldest top 10 joke list published by the University of Wolverhampton.
A 1600 BC gag about a pharaoh, said to be King Snofru, comes second
– "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."

The oldest British joke dates back to the 10th Century and reveals
the bawdy face of the Anglo-Saxons – "What hangs at a man's thigh and
wants to poke the hole that it's often poked before? Answer: A key."

"Jokes have varied over the years, with some taking the question and
answer format while others are witty proverbs or riddles," said the
report's writer Dr Paul McDonald, senior lecturer at the university.

"What they all share however, is a willingness to deal with taboos
and a degree of rebellion. Modern puns, Essex girl jokes and toilet
humour can all be traced back to the very earliest jokes identified in
this research."

The study was commissioned by television channel Dave. The top 10 oldest jokes can be viewed at www.dave-tv.