And we draw pictures of them now, despite the fact that we don't live with them. Why then would the fact that people 3,000 years ago drew dinosaurs mean that they lived with them?
One possible explanation is that they frew pictures of what they actually observed. We draw pictures of mental recreations based on complete skeletons we have dug out of solid rock. There is no evidence that they had such advanced Paleontological skillst, much less the necessary interest, tools and time.
We draw pictures of them because of our history and legends, not because we lived with them. Where did THEY get the ideas for them? It had to start somewhere.
Why do the old accounts of dragons seem to fit with what we know of them from fossil remains? There isn't any indication that people would have know about fossil remains and their implications 3,000 or so years ago.
Why do so many cultures that were so isolated from each other have the same accounts of dragons?
Just curious....