I recently stumbled upon the world’s oldest preserved joke book, Philogelos (“Love of Laughter”). It dates back to fourth century Greece and contains 265 jokes categorized into subjects. Some of these subjects are readily recognizable tropes in humor– eggheads, fools, tricksters, etc. Some of it could pass on stage today, and much of it is quite raunchy.
A few jokes from _Philogelos_ [2/3]:
#107. There was another man, just like the last one - a big talker, but in fact impoverished. By chance he got sick, and his girlfriend, coming into his place without warning, found him lying on a humble mat made of reeds. Turning over, he claimed that the doctors were responsible: “The best and most famous doctors in the city ordered me to sleep on a mat like this.”
A few jokes from _Philogelos_ [3/3]:
#263. Someone needled a jokester: “I had your wife, without paying a dime.” He replied: “It’s my duty as a husband to couple with such a monstrosity. What made you do it?’
A few jokes from _Philogelos_ [1/3]:
#43. When an intellectual was told by someone, “Your beard is now coming in,” he went to the rear-entrance and waited for it. Another intellectual asked what he was doing. Once he heard the whole story, he said: “I’m not surprised that people say we lack common sense. How do you know that it’s not coming in by the other gate?”