You might think your dad's joke about what you call blood-sucking referrees ("vumpires" haha) is old, but that's nothing. A team of academics from the University of Wolverhampton have discovered the world's most ancient gag.

Guess what it's about? Yep. Farts.

"Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap," goes the joke, which apparently dates back to ancient Sumeria circa 1900 BC.

Hmm. Well, regardless of the joke's quality it has apparently stood the test of time. Other ticklers on the list include gags about emperors, oxen and sex, including this joke from 10th century Britain:

"What hangs at a man's thigh and wants to poke the hole that it's often poked before? A key."

Ugh. Well, it's probably better than the Sumerian attempt.

The best joke on the list is this one from ancient Rome about Emperor Agustus: The emperor is touring the realm and comes across a man who looks just like himself. Amazed, Augustus stops and asks if the man's mother was ever employeed in the Imperial Palace. "No, your highness," replies the man. "But my father was."

Brilliant. So there you have it. The funniest things in the world are farts, keys and adultery. Who knew?