Worse than I thought. This "study" wasn't even a study, but some very superficial research done for a TV show.

Their 10th "oldest" joke is from the 5th century! Pathetic. Terrible, terrible science reporting from Reuters and the media.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/2008/07/31/wolverhampton-researchers-discover-world-s-oldest-joke-65233-21445845/

Without knowing the requisite cultural context to frame the meaning, how do they know that the saying is intended as a "joke" (other than the fact it mentions farting), or is even the proper translation?

I certainly don't know what it means; and I bet if you got 5 anthropologists together, they couldn't agree either.

Or maybe I'm wrong, but the news article didn't illuminate anything.