So, these paintings have already taught us a lot.

这些岩画已经给我们传递了大量的信息。

But one image that has always intrigued us is known as the 'Rainbow Serpent'.

但是有一幅被称作“彩虹蛇”的岩画却一直吸引着我们。

The Rainbow Serpent, which is the focus of my most recent project, gets its name from its snake or serpent-like body and it first appeared in the Yam period 4 to 6,000 years ago.

彩虹蛇是我近年来的主要研究内容。它的得名是因为它蛇形的身体。这幅岩画出现在4到6千年前。

Many believe it is a curious mixture of kangaroo, snake and crocodile.

很多人认为它是一个袋鼠、蛇和鳄鱼的奇怪的混合体。

But we decided to study the Rainbow Serpent paintings to see if we could locate the animal that the very first painters based their image on.

但我们研究彩虹蛇的目的是希望能够找到当时画这幅画的人们所描绘的这种动物。

The Yam period coincided with the end of the last ice age.

薯蓣派结束的时期碰巧赶上上一次冰期的末期。

This brought about tremendous change in the environment, with the sea levels rising and creeping steadily inland.

这给当时的环境带来了天翻地覆的变化，比如海平面的升高并逐渐侵蚀内陆。

This flooded many familiar land features and also caused a great deal of disruption to traditional patterns of life, hunting in particular.

这次运动淹没了很多陆地，并对原住民的传统的生活方式带来巨大的影响，尤其是狩猎。

New shores were formed and totally different creatures would have washed up onto the shores.

新的海岸线形成了，全新的生物物种被带上了岸。

We studied 107 paintings of the Rainbow Serpent and found that the one creature that matches it most closely was the Ribboned Pipefish, which is a type of sea horse.

我们研究了一百零七幅彩虹蛇的岩画，发现和它们的形象最接近的生物是缎带海龙，它们是海马的一种。

This sea creature would have been a totally unfamiliar sight in the inland regions where the image is found and may have been the inspiration behind the early paintings.

这种海洋生物对这些陆地上的原住民来说是一种完全新鲜的东西，这可能就是他们创作这些岩画的灵感来源。

So, at the end of the ice age there would have been enormous changes in animal and plant life.

在上一个冰期的末期，地球上的动物和植物都发生了巨大的变化。

It's not surprising then, that the Aborigines linked this abundance to the new creatures they witnessed.

当时的原住民自然会将动植物的富足与新物种的出现联系起来。

Even today, Aborigines see the Rainbow Serpent as a symbol of creation, which is understandable given the increase in vegetation and the new life forms that featured when the image first appeared.

时至今日，澳洲原住民仍将彩虹蛇视为造物的象征。这并不难理解，因为彩虹蛇在岩画中出现时出现了许多植物和生命形态。