Edit: I've gotten some answers now, but many of them use Neolithic settlements as examples. I wish I had the archaeological know-how to analyze these settlements' technologies and economies and overlay it onto a Mesolithic setting should it fit the bill, but sadly I don't. I'd be grateful if someone could state whether these kind of settlements are possible with the level of technology I've selected (The Skara Brae suggestion looks the most promising at the moment, but more ideas are always welcome).
The world I'm building right now is not meant to be historically chronologically accurate, so to speak, but rather "plausible" instead. It depicts conflict between a variety of Mesolithic tribes in a place based on what is now Scandinavia.
When I say Mesolithic, though, there are some technological differences between them and real Mesolithic peoples. For example:
- They use pottery for bowls and other containers
- There is warfare between communities
- They build boats made of hide with wooden frames rather than just dugouts
- They have their own religions
These are all elements that are only confirmed to exist in Neolithic peoples. However, they do not farm crops, make polished weaponry, or have pastoralism.
The last Neolithic element in these otherwise Mesolithic cultures is: some of them build permanent settlements. The earliest permanent settlements not based on agriculture, I believe, are the fishing villages of Neolithic Alaska that relied on the annual salmon run to maintain their permanent habitation.
Similarly, in my world, the permanent settlements are based on fishing. There are some built around rivers for salmon-fishing like the Alaskan ones, while others are found at the seashore, home to fishers and whalers.
Now, my question is: If a community of Mesolithic people were to build a permanent settlement, with permanent buildings, based mainly on fishing, how would they do it? Is this possible with that level of technology and, if it is, what would the structures look like?