Hot take. No, like actually atom-smashingly hot lol

Engineer here. I’m guessing the Y-shaped log acts as a support to hold the lever-log while the olive sack stack is removed for refilling. I’d guess two or three guys lift the log while someone pulls the stack out, and then they rest it on the Y so that they don’t have to lift it from ground level each time.

And to answer some other questions from the thread: it may be useful to have the pulley attached to the boulder instead of the groubd so that they only ever apply a known force to the olives during the squishing phase. Otherwise, they could compress the olives until the skins squeeze through or the sacks burst. Once the rock begins to lift, the press is complete.

A more perfect union