Endless Thread

Jokes, Part I: Sumer Funny, Sumer Not



What makes the world’s first documented bar joke funny? No one knows.

In a tweet that garnered thousands of responses in March, the Twitter account @DepthsOfWiki posted about a 4,000-year-old proverb written on a clay tablet. The line, which experts believe is a joke from the ancient civilization of Sumer, starts with the set-up, “A dog walks into a tavern.” But the punchline has left scholars and online commenters scratching their heads. The joke’s meaning has been lost, and finding it could reveal something unique about early human civilization.

In this episode, the first of two parts, Endless Thread journeys back in time, attempting to deconstruct the origins of humor and explain an unexplainable joke from the forgotten tablets of the past.

******

Credits: This episode was written and produced by Dean Russell. Mixing and sound design by Emily Jankowski. Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson are the co-hosts.

...more

View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Endless ThreadBy WBUR

  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1

4.1

2,541 ratings


More shows like Endless Thread

View all
On Point | Podcast by WBUR

On Point | Podcast

3,783 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,812 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

89,578 Listeners

the memory palace by Nate DiMeo

the memory palace

6,797 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,006 Listeners

Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network

Criminal

36,889 Listeners

Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

Death, Sex & Money

7,751 Listeners

Dear Sugars by WBUR

Dear Sugars

5,619 Listeners

Sidedoor by Smithsonian Institution

Sidedoor

2,119 Listeners

Twenty Thousand Hertz by Dallas Taylor

Twenty Thousand Hertz

3,814 Listeners

What Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law by Roman Mars

What Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law

3,915 Listeners

Circle Round by WBUR

Circle Round

13,764 Listeners

Decoder Ring by Slate Podcasts

Decoder Ring

2,011 Listeners

You're Wrong About by Sarah Marshall

You're Wrong About

21,223 Listeners

Last Seen by WBUR

Last Seen

3,531 Listeners

Articles of Interest by Avery Trufelman

Articles of Interest

3,243 Listeners

Anything For Selena by WBUR & Futuro Studios

Anything For Selena

1,345 Listeners

The Atlas Obscura Podcast by Stitcher Studios & Atlas Obscura

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

1,428 Listeners

Search Engine by PJ Vogt

Search Engine

3,424 Listeners

Short Run by WBUR

Short Run

206 Listeners

If Books Could Kill by Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri

If Books Could Kill

7,653 Listeners

The Common by WBUR

The Common

78 Listeners

Beyond All Repair by WBUR

Beyond All Repair

2,930 Listeners