diff --git a/.ci/README.md b/.ci/README.md
index a03c39252c..a937f76af1 100644
--- a/.ci/README.md
+++ b/.ci/README.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Test jobs:
 - `test-lin-rel-cran` - `--as-cran` on Linux, strict test for final status of `R CMD check`.
 - `test-lin-dev-gcc-strict-cran` - `--as-cran` on Linux, `r-devel` built with `-enable-strict-barrier --disable-long-double`, test for compilation warnings, test for new NOTEs/WARNINGs from `R CMD check`.
 - `test-lin-dev-clang-cran` - same as `gcc-strict` job but R built with `clang` and  no `--enable-strict-barrier --disable-long-double` flags.
-- `test-lin-310-cran` - R 3.1.0 on Linux, stated R dependency version.
+- `test-lin-ancient-cran` - Minimum R version required in DESCRIPTION on Linux.
 - `test-win-rel` - `r-release` on Windows.
 - `test-win-dev` - `r-devel` on Windows.
 - `test-win-old` - `r-oldrel` on Windows.
diff --git a/.dev/.bash_aliases b/.dev/.bash_aliases
index 928f0e07fc..e22f3ba32e 100644
--- a/.dev/.bash_aliases
+++ b/.dev/.bash_aliases
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ alias Rdevel-strict-gcc='~/build/R-devel-strict-gcc/bin/R --vanilla'
 alias Rdevel-strict-clang='~/build/R-devel-strict-clang/bin/R --vanilla'
 alias Rdevel-valgrind='~/build/R-devel-valgrind/bin/R --vanilla'
 alias Rdevel32='~/build/32bit/R-devel/bin/R --vanilla'
-alias R310='~/build/R-3.1.0/bin/R --vanilla'
+alias R330='~/build/R-3.3.0/bin/R --vanilla'
 
 alias revdepsh='cd ~/build/revdeplib/ && export TZ=UTC && export R_LIBS_SITE=NULL && export R_LIBS=~/build/revdeplib/ && export _R_CHECK_FORCE_SUGGESTS_=true'
 alias revdepr='revdepsh; R_PROFILE_USER=~/GitHub/data.table/.dev/revdep.R R'
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1d0b3eb641..d400963dea 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 * fast and feature rich **reshaping** data: **[`?dcast`](https://rdatatable.gitlab.io/data.table/reference/dcast.data.table.html)** (_pivot/wider/spread_) and **[`?melt`](https://rdatatable.gitlab.io/data.table/reference/melt.data.table.html)** (_unpivot/longer/gather_)
 * **any R function from any R package** can be used in queries not just the subset of functions made available by a database backend, also columns of type `list` are supported
 * has **[no dependencies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency_hell)** at all other than base R itself, for simpler production/maintenance
-* the R dependency is **as old as possible for as long as possible**, dated April 2014, and we continuously test against that version; e.g. v1.11.0 released on 5 May 2018 bumped the dependency up from 5 year old R 3.0.0 to 4 year old R 3.1.0
+* the R dependency is **as old as possible for as long as possible**, and we continuously test against that version; currently, we require at minimum R 3.3.0 (2016).
 
 ## Installation