Discovery Theme Conference on Humor in the Ancient World

Illustration of a creature sticking its tongue out

April 20 - April 21, 2018

12:00AM - 12:00AM

Senate Chamber Room on Friday 4/20 and Ohio Staters, Inc. Traditions Room on Saturday 4/21 at The Ohio Union, The Ohio State University, 1739 North High Street Columbus, Ohio

2018-04-20 00:00:00 2018-04-21 00:00:00 Discovery Theme Conference on Humor in the Ancient World What’s So Funny?Discovering and Interpreting Humor in the Ancient WorldHumor is a ubiquitous human phenomenon with a wide range of applications. Yet, what is deemed humorous is often culturally determined. This poses a significant challenge for scholars of ancient cultures. How do we identify what ancient cultures found funny? How did they use humor, and what drove their usage?This conference is a forum for scholars across disciplines to discuss humor and its functions in both textual and material sources across the ancient Mediterranean, from the early Near East through late antiquity. Presentations will explore the use of humor in a variety of contexts, including gender, education, politics, and religion.Keynote SpeakersChristine Hayes (Yale University)Amy Richlin (University of California, Los Angeles)Ian Ruffell (University of Glasgow)Jack M. Sasson (Vanderbilt University)Link to Poster [pdf]Link to Program [pdf]Free Registration [pdf] - Some links on this page are to .pdf files.  If you need these files in a more accessible format, please contact oldaker.17@osu.edu.  PDF files require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open them. If you do not have Reader, you may use the following link to Adobe to download it for free at: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Senate Chamber Room on Friday 4/20 and Ohio Staters, Inc. Traditions Room on Saturday 4/21 at The Ohio Union, The Ohio State University, 1739 North High Street Columbus, Ohio America/New_York public

What’s So Funny?
Discovering and Interpreting Humor in the Ancient World

Humor is a ubiquitous human phenomenon with a wide range of applications. Yet, what is deemed humorous is often culturally determined. This poses a significant challenge for scholars of ancient cultures. How do we identify what ancient cultures found funny? How did they use humor, and what drove their usage?

This conference is a forum for scholars across disciplines to discuss humor and its functions in both textual and material sources across the ancient Mediterranean, from the early Near East through late antiquity. Presentations will explore the use of humor in a variety of contexts, including gender, education, politics, and religion.

Keynote Speakers
Christine Hayes (Yale University)
Amy Richlin (University of California, Los Angeles)
Ian Ruffell (University of Glasgow)
Jack M. Sasson (Vanderbilt University)

Link to Poster [pdf]
Link to Program [pdf]

Free Registration

[pdf] - Some links on this page are to .pdf files. If you need these files in a more accessible format, please contact oldaker.17@osu.edu. PDF files require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open them. If you do not have Reader, you may use the following link to Adobe to download it for free at: Adobe Acrobat Reader.