The findings of ancient art throughout the world would seem to indicate the former is true. What is it about ancient art like cave and rock paintings that makes them so special and would lead one to believe that these represent the first primitive efforts of humankind to write down the written word. Different cave and rock paintings have been dated to be anywhere from 10,000 B.C to 30,000 B.C. or more. There are a great number and variety of them. The later paintings are generally more sophisticated than the earlier ones.
Most paintings are of animals, while others protray humans presumably in the act of hunting.
Yet others, are of half human, half beasts. These ones are obviously concerned with abstract ideas, about themselves and their world, than the more realistic ones. Clearly the paintings attempt to tell the tales of what life was about and like during those times. It is difficult to know exactly what the message is because it is believed that spoken language itself was still developing. It is thought that only a proto language may have existed.