I have a theory that initially a lot of these works were made for a laugh, like an old timey joke picture, and over time people kept adding meaning to them.
Like someone makes a rude and crude painting of a giant cock with eyes, makes people laugh, and a few thousand years later some bloke in a trilby goes "hmm, yes, it seems these people worshipped a penis god at this point in time. Also it clearly reads a prophecy, 'deez nuts'. Fascinating."