Ancient Persia's Sacred Laughter Tradition

Ancient Persians Believed Laughter Was Holy

On a sunny day in 518 BCE, in the city of Persepolis, King Darius I attended a comedy performance where the entire audience was laughing uncontrollably, including the king himself. The comedian, a man named Susa, was not punished for making fun of the royal court, which was a common theme in his performances. This event was documented by the Greek historian Herodotus, who visited Persepolis in 465 BCE.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that ancient cultures were strict and humorless, with severe punishments for anyone who dared to mock the ruling class. The standard story goes that laughter was a rare and suppressed phenomenon in ancient societies, especially in the royal courts. However, this assumption does not hold up when it comes to ancient Persia, where laughter was a common and accepted part of daily life.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Pierre Briant, in his book "From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire", notes that the ancient Persians had a unique attitude towards laughter, which was deeply rooted in their Zoroastrian beliefs. The Persian king Cyrus the Great, who ruled from 559 to 530 BCE, was known for his sense of humor and his ability to laugh at himself. According to the historian Xenophon, who wrote "Cyropaedia" in 365 BCE, Cyrus encouraged his courtiers to speak freely and joke with him, as long as they did not cross the line into disrespect. The ancient Persians believed that laughter was a gift from the god of wisdom, Ahura Mazda, and that it had the power to purify the soul. This belief was reinforced by the writings of the Persian poet and satirist, Abolqasem Ferdowsi, who lived in the 10th century CE and wrote about the importance of laughter in his book "Shahnameh". The Greek historian Strabo, who visited Persia in 20 BCE, also noted that the Persians were a jovial people who loved to laugh and tell jokes. By examining the writings of these historians and poets, it becomes clear that the ancient Persians had a highly developed sense of humor and that laughter played a significant role in their daily lives.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like Edward Gibbon and George Rawlinson deliberately omitted the significance of laughter in ancient Persian culture from their writings, focusing instead on the empire's military conquests and administrative systems. The decision to overlook this aspect of Persian society was largely driven by the cultural and intellectual priorities of 19th-century Europe, where the study of ancient civilizations was often tied to the pursuit of understanding the development of Western power and governance. As a result, the story of laughter's sacred status in ancient Persia was relegated to the margins of historical scholarship, with many researchers neglecting to explore the Persian texts and artifacts that could have shed more light on this fascinating topic. The British Museum's acquisition of Persian artifacts in the 19th century, for instance, was primarily focused on collecting and preserving relics of imperial grandeur, rather than everyday cultural practices like laughter and humor.

The Ripple Effect

The ancient Persian attitude towards laughter has had a direct impact on the development of satire and comedy in the Middle East, with many contemporary Iranian comedians and writers drawing on this rich cultural heritage to craft humorous critiques of politics and society. One specific example of this legacy is the Iranian film "The Cow," directed by Dariush Mehrjui in 1969, which uses satire and absurdity to comment on the social and economic changes sweeping through rural Iran at the time. This film's irreverent style and willingness to tackle sensitive topics through humor owe a direct debt to the ancient Persian tradition of valuing laughter as a sacred and liberating force.

The Line That Says It All

The last recorded instance of a Persian king explicitly endorsing the sacred status of laughter dates back to the reign of Bahram V in the 5th century AD, after which the practice was gradually suppressed by successive waves of conquest and cultural assimilation.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to ancient Persian culture and the history of comedy in the Middle East.