Working in the 1960s, Robert (Bob) Edwards was a key figure in the development of research into Australian rock art. He was one of the first rock art scholars to attempt a quantitative and comparative survey of rock engravings in south and central Australia. In this paper, we examine the development of his work on rock engravings, the intellectual context for his research, and the problems he addressed. Edwards’ research took place during a decade when rock art research became more systematic, analytical and quantitative. Although Edwards’ research on rock engravings was influential, his subsequent career shows a shift from an antiquarian interest in which he regarded rock art as an archaeological relic of an ancient Australia, to a more humanist perspective, where he began to appreciate that many of the sites that he regarded as ancient were part of a living tradition.

中文翻译：

---

罗伯特·爱德华兹和澳大利亚岩画研究的历史

罗伯特（鲍勃）爱德华兹在 1960 年代工作，是澳大利亚岩画研究发展的关键人物。他是最早尝试对澳大利亚南部和中部的岩画进行定量和比较调查的岩画学者之一。在本文中，我们考察了他在岩石雕刻方面的工作的发展、他研究的知识背景以及他解决的问题。爱德华兹的研究发生在岩石艺术研究变得更加系统化、分析化和定量化的十年期间。尽管爱德华兹对岩石雕刻的研究具有影响力，但他随后的职业生涯显示出从将岩石艺术视为古代澳大利亚考古遗迹的古董兴趣转变为更加人文主义的观点，