For the first time, scientists have precisely dated prehistoric paintings inside Font-de-Gaume, a decorated cave in Dordogne, southwestern France. The news was reported by Science Daily, following an announcement made March 9 by France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

Dordogne’s Vézère Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, is famous for its prehistoric art, which includes the paintings at Font-de-Gaume as well as those at nearby Lascaux. Accurately determining the age of the paintings, however, has historically proved difficult.