I’m thinking it’s much more utilitarian, like a rope tensioner or some such thing.
Yah. I agree. Seems we always have to think that things like this were some kind of primitive fertility goddess, or some building was a temple to some unknown god, or some other such rot. I like the rope tensioner... I think if we could go back and watch we'd be blown away by some of the technological prowess off our ancestors. That... And some of those buildings were somewhat more pedestrian than always being temples. To wit: Stonehenge. Actually... A tavern. Pyramids. Built with cranes and levers. Atlantis. Almost certainly a real place. Not like the movies, but real.