That's the lazy archeologist explanation. What was this building? A temple! What was the purpose of these artifacts? A ritual! And so on for everything.
I now believe is just code for "we don't have a clue yet", but growing up, it gave me the wrong impression that acient societies were praying all day long.
It's likely that rituals were they way they structured complex activities.
Put the food beneath the snow and sing a song, using prescribed steps, so the gods will preserve it. Bandage a wound, put a poultice on it and sing a song, so the spirits will make it heal. Again, using prescribed steps handed over from generation to generation, because they knew it worked but didn't know why.