If you thought memes were a creation of the internet, well you've been fooled. The word "meme" actually first appeared in a 1976 book titled "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins. At the time, the author referred to it as a "Mimeme" — a word derived from Greek meaning "that which is imitated."
But, memes actually existed long before the word was even coined. They have reportedly appeared as early as 79 AD in a Pompeii ruin and then later in the form of graffiti in the 70s. Thanks to multiple Twitter users, we now have proof that Ancient Egypt inspired some of the most popular memes of this decade.
The "guy checking out a girl" meme was a thing of the past
The creepy recreation of "the woman yelling at a cat" meme
A closer look and you'll see a tiny icon doing the "dab"
Ancient Egyptians had their own "expanding brain meme" ... with eyes
The "anime butterfly, is this a pigeon" meme is not as original as you thought
Four people turned into two to create the "double Spiderman" meme
Mystery solved: This is where the Instagram egg came from
