Symbolae Philologorum Posnaniensium, 2010, nr XX/2

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Obyczajowe obrazki z "Philogelosa"
(Wydawnictwo Poznańskiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk, 2010) Zalewska-Jura, Hanna
There is no doubt that humor is a cultural phenomenon, but existing on the margins of culture. Jokes fall into the category of folklore along with proverbs, nursery rhymes, riddles etc., but we can not think of them as a cultural constant; they come and go with the social and political changes. The Philogelos is the single jokebook written in Greek that survives from ancient times. It contains about 265 items. This collection was probably put together in the fourth or fifth century A.D. Jokes of Philogelos provide us with glimpses into a very different cultural world than our own. The collection deserves not less attention than more serious literary works, because it reflects various aspects of ancient society and daily life of any Greek polis from the third or fourth century A.D.