Very old times

[aleCcowaN]

I realized I don't know an American phrase to talk about ancient times. I know the British and Commonwealth expression "donkey's years" which I learn from Count Arthur Strong season 1 episode 2 (you may watch the bit containing it here and have a good laugh). Yet, this time reference is not "old" enough.

I will use examples in Spanish to illustrate what I'm looking for. For instance to refer to someone very old we say "es más viejo que Matusalén". For things or uses from old times, it is used in Spain "es del tiempo de María Castaña". In Argentina we use "es del tiempo de Ñaupa".

The last one, ñaupa, is not a name but a word in Kechua meaning "from ancient times/from the times mythical stories are told about". I was surprised to learn recently that in Micah 5:2 "But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days." the Biblical Hebrew word translated in English as "from of old" means almost exactly and have similar semantic range as ñaupa.

We don't value native American cultures enough, but that is a topic "más viejo que la injusticia"

Any suggestions about this kind of expresiones both in English and Spanish?

[Rusty]

American English has several to choose from.

A small sampling:
... older than (as old as) Adam.
... older than (as old as) man itself.
... been around since (when) dinosaurs roamed the earth.
... older than (as old as) dirt (and twice as dusty).
... older than (as old as) Methuselah.
... older than the hills (and twice as dusty).
... as old as time.

[poli]

I use as old as the hills.