The famous 19th-century fairy tale collector Wilhelm Grimm suggested fairy tales dated around at back before between down for from in of over to without thousands around at back before between down for from in of over to without years. Scientists now support his theory and claim that many around at back before between down for from in of over to without the fairy tales we know and love could be around at back before between down for from in of over to without 4,000 years old. Anthropologist Jamshid Tehrani and folklorist Sara da Silva say the oldest known fairy tale dates around at back before between down for from in of over to without over 6,000 years around at back before between down for from in of over to without the Bronze Age. This is a time around at back before between down for from in of over to without the Stone Age and Iron Age when humans first started making tools around at back before between down for from in of over to without metal. Dr Tehrani studied the evolution around at back before between down for from in of over to without our early languages. He found strong links around at back before between down for from in of over to without a tale called "The Smith and the Devil" and the Proto-Indo-European language - an ancient common language that dates to around at back before between down for from in of over to without 6,000 years ago. The two scientists analysed 275 tales around at back before between down for from in of over to without elements around at back before between down for from in of over to without culture that existed around at back before between down for from in of over to without modern languages like English, French and Italian. They say well-known tales like "Beauty and the Beast" and "Rumplestiltskin" are around at back before between down for from in of over to without least 4,000 years old. Dr Tehrani said: "It's remarkable that these stories have survived so long around at back before between down for from in of over to without being written down. They are older than the English language and would have been first told around at back before between down for from in of over to without a language that is now extinct." Many around at back before between down for from in of over to without the fairy tales we know today were first written around at back before between down for from in of over to without in the 17th century. Dr Tehrani says the new findings suggest that: "A substantial number around at back before between down for from in of over to without magical tales have existed around at back before between down for from in of over to without Indo-European oral traditions long around at back before between down for from in of over to without they were written down."