the fucking chauvet caves have some of the oldest cave paintings and they're SO WELL PRESerVED due to an ancient rock slide sealing it off and like

there was one section of rough cave wall with these charcoal smears

where they'd scraped down a torch when it had burned down too far.

and they looked like brand new, right? and there were even still little crumbly bits on a ledge underneath.

BrAND NEW LOOKING that is the important part

carbon dating on one of the crumbly bits placed it as 20,000 years old at least. :|

I JUST FUCKING CAN'T

Oh god.

right?