When we think of Ancient Egypt, the images that come to mind are monumental and severe: the Great Pyramids, the stoic Sphinx, rigidly posed statues of pharaohs, and hieroglyphs detailing complex rituals of death and the afterlife. The civilization is often perceived as obsessively focused on eternity, piety, and monumental architecture.
However, beneath the granite exterior lay a society that deeply appreciated a good joke.
Archaeological evidence—ranging from satirical papyri to informal sketches found in workers' villages—reveals that the Ancient Egyptians had a robust, surprisingly modern sense of humor. They enjoyed slapstick, political satire, and poking fun at the rigid hierarchies that governed their lives.
Here is a look at what made the ancients chuckle along the banks of the Nile.
The Animal World Turned Upside Down
One of the most common forms of Egyptian humor involved anthropomorphism and role reversal, specifically using animals.
In a society strictly governed by hierarchy and order (the concept of Ma'at), the funniest thing a person could imagine was a world where all the rules were reversed.
Archaeologists have discovered numerous papyri and ostraca (limestone or pottery fragments used for sketching) that depict bizarre, comedic scenarios: * The Predator as the Prey: Sketches show a terrified lion fleeing from a gazelle, or a pack of dogs cowering before a flock of angry geese. * Animals Doing Human Jobs: One famous papyrus (The Satirical Papyrus of Turin) depicts a cat acting as a shepherd for a flock of ducks, and a fox playing a double flute for a herd of goats. Another shows a hippopotamus sitting in a tree picking figs.
These images were the Ancient Egyptian equivalent of modern cartoons or internet memes. They provided a safe, humorous release from the rigid social structure by depicting a world where the natural order was hilariously inverted.
Mocking the Pompous
While the pharaoh was considered a living god and was rarely (if ever) mocked directly, other authority figures were fair game.
The scribes, priests, and local officials who actually ran the day-to-day bureaucracy were frequent targets of satire. The people who built the tombs in the workers' village of Deir el-Medina left behind rough sketches mocking their supervisors.
One surviving text, known as "The Satire of the Trades," attempts to convince young men to become scribes by aggressively making fun of every other profession. It mocks the baker for being covered in flour, the washerman for dealing with dirty clothes, and the soldier for being hungry and miserable. While intended as educational propaganda, its tone is highly sarcastic and comedic.
Bodily Functions and Slapstick
Human nature hasn't changed much in 4,000 years. The Egyptians found physical comedy, intoxication, and toilet humor highly amusing.
- Drunkenness: Banquets were a major part of upper-class Egyptian life, and the consequences of overindulgence were a popular comedic subject. Tomb paintings occasionally include humorous details of guests vomiting or having to be carried home after drinking too much beer.
- Slapstick: Sketches show workmen accidentally dropping heavy objects on each other's feet, or people falling out of boats. The immediate, physical misfortune of others (Schadenfreude) was as universally funny then as a "fail video" is today.
- Scatology: While less commonly preserved in official art, informal graffiti shows that the Egyptians were not above a dirty joke. Rough sketches have been found hinting at sexual escapades or bodily functions, proving that "lowbrow" humor is truly ancient.
The Mythological Comedy
Even religion wasn't entirely immune to comedy. While the gods were revered, certain myths were told with a decidedly humorous, almost farcical tone.
In one famous mythological story regarding the contention between the gods Horus and Seth for the throne of Egypt, the narrative devolves into bizarre, comedic hijinks. The gods bicker like petty children, engage in ridiculous contests (including a boat race using boats made of stone), and attempt to trick each other using bodily fluids.
The story is sacred, but the telling of it was clearly meant to be entertaining and amusing, proving that the Egyptians did not view the divine as entirely humorless.
The Importance of the Laugh
For the Ancient Egyptians, humor wasn't just a distraction; it was a coping mechanism. Life in antiquity was harsh, marked by disease, grueling labor, and the unpredictable flooding of the Nile.
Their comedy—whether it was a sketch of a cat serving a mouse a drink, or a sarcastic poem about a corrupt official—was a way to assert humanity over hardship. By turning the world upside down on a piece of papyrus, they found momentary relief from the rigid, heavy realties of the world they lived in.