Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.

The origin of ice-cream dates back ______ nearly half-a-century.

to

The most appropriate option to fill in the blank is to.

The sentence is about the origin of ice-cream, which dates back to a time in the past. The preposition "to" is used to indicate a point in time in the past.

The other options are not as appropriate.

• At is used to indicate a specific point in time in the past. It does not make sense to use "at" in this context because the origin of ice-cream does not have a specific date.
• From is used to indicate a starting point in time. It does not make sense to use "from" in this context because the origin of ice-cream does not have a starting point.
• Into is used to indicate a change in state or condition. It does not make sense to use "into" in this context because the origin of ice-cream is not a change in state or condition.