In Stone Age a caricature, as it exists nowadays, could not appear because there were neither pencils, nor paper. Prehistoric people painted each other's faces and bodies with soot - for fun, of course.

They "drew", i.e. carved caricatures on the rocks. The laughed were scared greatly, because they were disgraced for ever. So everybody tried to be kind to satirists, or caricaturists were killed.

It is not relevant to recollect the time of matriarchy . Women-chiefs , drawn by caricaturists, looked very unattractive. Esthetic feeling (it's outset to be exact ) of the people could not stand the matriarchy, so it did not last long. In the time of patriarchy the fighters for truth and justice paid attention to men only. The majority not having the sense of humour just killed and ate the caricaturists at large. But the attempts to stop the artists were useless, that is why the archaeologists still discover prehistoric caricatures. The drawings moved the society forward, developing the most human sense - the sense of humour. The vital necessity to laugh at each other has always been kept up. A caricature turns an enemy into a miserable freak and "gets satisfaction" out of it.

The origin of the word "satira" is Latin, it means "mixture". It is fascinating that the ridiculed persons were often offended - probably, irony, itself, was not very popular in the past. A lot of "stone caricatures" are of great artistic, as well as historic value. In more developed civilizations, for example, in Ancient Egypt, caricaturists drew on papyrus, and they did not ill-use satire. Ramzes III was pleased when he was painted as a lion who won the game of draughts with an antelope and got a sack with gold as a prize. Since those times the history of "positive" caricature had began.

The satirists of Ancient Rome also contributed a lot in the history of caricature. The Romans wallowed in the mud and sins, so they were worth criticizing. If the efforts of the satirists had been more effective, the Roman Empire might not fallen down... The Roman caricaturists widened the sphere of their activities, i.e. they drew on potter, tables, and walls.

In Latin "humour" ("umidum") means "humidity" . Oh, yes! The Romans drank a lot, had fun, laughed at barbarians. But... he laughs best who laughs last.