Knowledge (XXG)

Philogelos

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is traditionally attributed to two men, Hierocles and Philagrius (also spelled Hierokles and Philagros), who are otherwise unattested and have no known works. It has been posited that the Hierocles mentioned is Neoplatonist philosopher
113:, but there is no evidence to connect the two. If Hierocles and Philagrius were indeed the creators of the book, it is more likely that they compiled and edited pre-existing jokes, rather than writing all the jokes themselves. 637:Ἱεροκλέους και Φιλαγρίου (Hierokles kai Philagrios). G. Pachymeris declamationes XIII quarum XII ineditae, Hieroclis et Philagrii grammaticorum φιλόγελως longe maximam partem ineditus 702: 546: 145:, who published an English translation of it in 2008, the language used indicates that it may have been written in the fourth century AD. Joke #62 mentions the 227:, was simply the scholar giving the silversmith a bizarre and useless answer. However, a 2013 paper by Egizia Maria Felice, Professor of Classics at the 640: 658: 625: 218:
A scholar ordered a silversmith to prepare a lantern. When the latter asked how big he wanted it, he replied "Like this, for eight people!"
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showcases a virtual exhibit, ‘‘Philogelos: The First Joke Book,” featuring cartoons created from translations of the
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The first joke in the collection has long been described as incomprehensible, nonsensical, or missing a punchline:
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consists of 265 jokes, although some of the jokes are repeated with slight variations. They are sorted by the
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is the oldest surviving joke book, there are known to be prior joke books that have since become lost.
73: 312: 547:"What's the oldest surviving joke book in the world? « Stuart's World-Famous Compendopedia™" 516: 280: 257:, where the scholar orders one at a silversmith's the same way he'd order one at a fishmonger's. 654: 621: 126:
encyclopedia, attributes authorship to a 5th century BC comic playwright named Philistion of
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to write down its members' jokes for him, and joke books are mentioned by characters in
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The Philogelos or Laughter-Lover (London Studies in Classical Philology Series, 10)
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has said that some of the jokes are "strikingly similar" to modern ones.
131: 93: 88: 674: 244: 127: 77: 587:"The Philogelos: Cartoons from the World's Oldest Joke Book Exhibit" 512: 198: 194: 712:, with discussion of its authorship, context, style, and purpose 118: 47: 269:
tested the material on a modern audience. One of the jokes in
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they feature, including the dumb or absent-minded scholar (
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Philogelos: The Laugh Addict: The World's Oldest Joke Book
458:"R.D. Dawe, Philogelos. München/Leipzig: K.G. Saur, 2000" 181:), the con man, the misanthrope, the witty commentator ( 633:
by A. Eberhard (1869) Berlin: H. Ebeling & C. Plahn
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The exact time of publication is unknown. According to
92:, two comedies by the 2nd century BC Roman playwright 46:that is the oldest known surviving collection of 223:The most common interpretation, first argued by 265:In 2008, British TV personality and comedian 8: 426: 424: 682:Philogelos: Hieroclis et Philagrii Facetiae 631:Philogelos: Hieroclis et Philagrii facetiae 333: 331: 329: 495:"Putting the ΓEΛΩΣ Back in Philogelos 1" 572:"Dead Parrot sketch is 1,600 years old" 325: 710:The World's Oldest Surviving Joke Book 641:Jean François Boissonade de Fontarabie 273:has been described as "an ancestor of 153:marking the 1000th anniversary of the 130:, who was allegedly a contemporary of 695:The Jests of Hierocles and Philagrius 35:The Jests of Hierocles and Philagrius 7: 488: 486: 484: 403:Whitehead, David, ed. (2005-10-15). 366: 364: 362: 360: 231:, argued that the word for lantern ( 493:Felice, Egizia Maria (April 2013). 432:"Dead Parrot sketch ancestor found" 340:"45 Jokes from The Laughter Lover" 14: 456:Jennings, Victoria (2001-06-05). 16:Ancient Greek collection of jokes 689:45 Jokes from The Laughter Lover 591:The National Museum of Language 585:Thompson, Linda (2015-08-11). 371:Laes, Christian (2005-09-18). 1: 30:Φιλόγελως, "Love of Laughter" 706:, Internet Archive (English) 698:, Internet Archive (English) 32:), also titled or subtitled 292:National Museum of Language 752: 463:Bryn Mawr Classical Review 378:Bryn Mawr Classical Review 236: 186: 178: 76:paid for a social club in 29: 673:, Bibliotheca Augustana, 342:. Diotima. Archived from 281:Dead Parrot comedy sketch 647:Philogelos, Antike Witze 134:and a blood relative of 653:Wiesbaden: Marix 2016, 338:Quinn, John T. (2001). 111:Hierocles of Alexandria 685:, Google Books (Greek) 649:, Greek and German by 221: 229:University of Reading 215: 74:Philip II of Macedon 726:Ancient Greek works 574:. 13 November 2008. 500:Classical Philology 313:Poetics (Aristotle) 523:– via JSTOR. 243:), as attested in 104:Authorship of the 42:book published in 736:4th-century books 659:978-3-7374-1038-0 626:978-90-70265-45-8 438:. BBC. 2008-11-13 122:, a 10th century 743: 601: 600: 598: 597: 582: 576: 575: 568: 562: 561: 559: 558: 549:. Archived from 543: 537: 531: 525: 524: 490: 479: 478: 476: 475: 466:. Archived from 453: 447: 446: 444: 443: 428: 419: 418: 416: 415: 400: 394: 393: 391: 390: 381:. Archived from 368: 355: 354: 352: 351: 335: 238: 225:Giovanni Pontano 188: 180: 171:stock characters 155:founding of Rome 31: 751: 750: 746: 745: 744: 742: 741: 740: 716: 715: 667: 610: 608:Further reading 605: 604: 595: 593: 584: 583: 579: 570: 569: 565: 556: 554: 545: 544: 540: 532: 528: 492: 491: 482: 473: 471: 455: 454: 450: 441: 439: 430: 429: 422: 413: 411: 402: 401: 397: 388: 386: 370: 369: 358: 349: 347: 337: 336: 327: 322: 304: 263: 211: 163: 151:Philip the Arab 102: 69:Deipnosophistae 56: 17: 12: 11: 5: 749: 747: 739: 738: 733: 728: 718: 717: 714: 713: 707: 699: 691: 686: 678: 666: 665:External links 663: 662: 661: 644: 634: 628: 609: 606: 603: 602: 577: 563: 538: 526: 521:10.1086/671419 513:10.1086/671419 507:(2): 155–158. 480: 448: 420: 395: 356: 324: 323: 321: 318: 317: 316: 310: 303: 300: 262: 259: 210: 207: 162: 159: 101: 98: 55: 52: 44:late antiquity 40:Greek-language 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 748: 737: 734: 732: 729: 727: 724: 723: 721: 711: 708: 705: 704: 700: 697: 696: 692: 690: 687: 684: 683: 679: 676: 672: 669: 668: 664: 660: 656: 652: 651:Kai Brodersen 648: 645: 642: 638: 635: 632: 629: 627: 623: 619: 618:Barry Baldwin 615: 612: 611: 607: 592: 588: 581: 578: 573: 567: 564: 553:on 2016-04-22 552: 548: 542: 539: 536: 530: 527: 522: 518: 514: 510: 506: 502: 501: 496: 489: 487: 485: 481: 470:on 2008-06-06 469: 465: 464: 459: 452: 449: 437: 433: 427: 425: 421: 410: 406: 399: 396: 385:on 2008-10-14 384: 380: 379: 374: 367: 365: 363: 361: 357: 346:on 2016-07-21 345: 341: 334: 332: 330: 326: 319: 314: 311: 309: 306: 305: 301: 299: 297: 293: 288: 286: 282: 278: 277: 272: 268: 260: 258: 256: 252: 251: 246: 242: 234: 233:Ancient Greek 230: 226: 220: 219: 214: 208: 206: 204: 200: 196: 192: 184: 183:Ancient Greek 176: 175:Ancient Greek 172: 168: 160: 158: 156: 152: 148: 147:Secular Games 144: 139: 137: 133: 129: 125: 121: 120: 114: 112: 107: 99: 97: 95: 91: 90: 85: 84: 79: 75: 71: 70: 66:wrote in the 65: 61: 58:Although the 53: 51: 49: 45: 41: 37: 36: 27: 26:Ancient Greek 23: 22: 701: 693: 680: 646: 643:(1848) Paris 636: 630: 613: 594:. Retrieved 590: 580: 566: 555:. Retrieved 551:the original 541: 529: 504: 498: 472:. Retrieved 468:the original 461: 451: 440:. Retrieved 435: 412:. Retrieved 409:Suda On Line 408: 405:"Philistion" 398: 387:. Retrieved 383:the original 376: 348:. Retrieved 344:the original 298:collection. 295: 289: 283:." Comedian 276:Monty Python 274: 270: 264: 254: 248: 222: 217: 216: 212: 191:ethnic jokes 166: 164: 143:William Berg 140: 117: 115: 105: 103: 87: 82: 67: 59: 57: 34: 33: 20: 19: 18: 308:Roman jokes 271:Philogelos 250:Geographica 241:lanternfish 179:σχολαστικός 100:Attribution 720:Categories 596:2020-06-01 557:2013-08-28 474:2008-11-13 442:2008-11-13 414:2024-06-05 389:2008-11-13 350:2008-11-13 320:References 296:Philogelos 285:Jimmy Carr 279:'s famous 261:Modern day 187:εὐτράπελος 167:Philogelos 106:Philogelos 60:Philogelos 21:Philogelos 671:Φιλόγελως 267:Jim Bowen 203:Abderites 199:Sidonians 124:Byzantine 64:Athenaeus 533:Strabo, 436:BBC News 302:See also 195:Cumaeans 161:Contents 149:held by 136:Philemon 132:Socrates 677:(Greek) 290:The US 209:Joke #1 94:Plautus 89:Stichus 54:Context 38:, is a 731:Humour 675:E-text 657:  624:  620:1983, 535:17.2.4 519:  255:λύχνος 245:Strabo 237:λύχνος 201:, and 193:about 128:Nicaea 78:Athens 517:JSTOR 83:Persa 72:that 50:. 48:jokes 655:ISBN 622:ISBN 165:The 119:Suda 116:The 86:and 639:by 616:by 509:doi 505:108 247:'s 722:: 589:. 515:. 503:. 497:. 483:^ 460:. 434:. 423:^ 407:. 375:. 359:^ 328:^ 235:: 197:, 185:: 177:: 138:. 96:. 28:: 599:. 560:. 511:: 477:. 445:. 417:. 392:. 353:. 24:(

Index

Ancient Greek
Greek-language
late antiquity
jokes
Athenaeus
Deipnosophistae
Philip II of Macedon
Athens
Persa
Stichus
Plautus
Hierocles of Alexandria
Suda
Byzantine
Nicaea
Socrates
Philemon
William Berg
Secular Games
Philip the Arab
founding of Rome
stock characters
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
ethnic jokes
Cumaeans
Sidonians
Abderites
Giovanni Pontano
University of Reading

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