Thanks for this point of view. I think what you've written is true for the most part, certainly for the people in central and western Europe. However, I don't think that lasting settlements are necessary for someone to discover a culture. Think of all the nomadic tribes everywhere and all the peoples who lived in teepees and moved only when the seasons changed. Anyone who discovered them would not get credit for the discovery because the people they found didn't stay in one place and have building materials you would call "lasting."