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Alicia McDermott

Alicia McDermott holds degrees in Anthropology, Psychology, and International Development Studies and has worked in various fields such as education, anthropology, and tourism. She is the Chief Editor of Ancient Origins Magazine. Traveling throughout Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, Alicia has focused much of her research on Andean cultures – past and present.

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Team members entering the Chiquihuite cave, a key site in researching the peopling of the Americas. Source: Devlin A. Gandy

22 July, 2020 - 16:00 Alicia McDermott

New Evidence Pushes Back Peopling of the Americas Almost 20,000 Years

New research supports the idea that the Clovis-first theory is outdated. Two studies published in the journal Nature provide more evidence that the peopling of the Americas took place well before 13,...

Representation of the Mesolithic people of Doggerland dealing with rising sea levels.

17 July, 2020 - 13:39 Alicia McDermott

Scientists Find Evidence for the Tsunami that Washed Out Doggerland

The UK used to be attached to mainland Europe thousands of years ago. The landmass that made the connection is called Doggerland. That land is now underwater and scientists have been working for...

Is Cleopatra's tomb at Taposiris Magna's temple?

14 July, 2020 - 22:15 Alicia McDermott

‘Sensational’ Find is NOT Cleopatra’s Tomb, But May Be a Clue

Taposiris Magna was just another archaeological site in Egypt until a rumor arose that the tomb of the famous Queen Cleopatra and her lover Mark Antony may be there. This location rises and fades...

Aerial view of the construction site. Source: Dom Eko

5 July, 2020 - 17:59 Alicia McDermott

Massive Polish Fort Walls Over 100 Feet Wide Indicate Medieval Capital

The discovery of three rings of fortification walls have provided archaeologists with startling new information on Medieval Poland. The find of the massive Polish fort walls suggests that Poznań was...

Inside the majestic chamber of Newgrange, one of the most iconic Irish megalith sites. Source: Cassidy et al./Ken Williams, shadowsandstone.com

17 June, 2020 - 17:34 Alicia McDermott

Signs of Dynastic Incest at Newgrange Reveal Secrets Behind Irish Megaliths

The European Neolithic era was a time of change. The first agricultural revolution saw people take a stronger interest in farming, small-scale communities grew, polished stone axes cleared forests,...

Dendera light relief, Temple of Hathor, Dendera, Egypt

21 May, 2020 - 03:14 Alicia McDermott

The Dendera Light: Myths, Tests and Truth

The Dendera light is a particularly controversial topic since it is not exactly an artifact of potential ancient technology, but the possible depiction of such an artifact on a wall of one of the...

Scientists have found the earliest direct evidence for Upper Paleolithic humans in Europe in a Bulgarian cave. Source: Gorodenkoff /Adobe Stock

11 May, 2020 - 16:00 Alicia McDermott

Earliest Upper Paleolithic Humans in Europe Discovered!

When did modern humans reach the lands we now call Europe? When did those Late Stone Age humans replace the Neanderthals as the dominant hominins of the region? The answers to these questions about...

Close-up of modern flax cordage showing twisted fiber construction. (S. Deryck) and a modern representation of a Neanderthal

9 April, 2020 - 16:35 Alicia McDermott

Crafty Neanderthals Made String, More Evidence for Their Intelligence

Sometime between 41,000–52,000 years ago an innovative person took some fibers, twisted them together, and put them with a thin stone tool. Their creation may have been a handle, net, or bag for the...

Homo naledi juvenile skeleton (Bolter et al. 2020) and reconstruction of a Homo naledi adult. (Cicero Moraes (Arc-Team) et al/CC BY 4.0)

3 April, 2020 - 14:04 Alicia McDermott

Ancient Hominin Skeleton Holds Clues To How Our Ancestors Grew Up

There are various ways researchers can explore the evolution of ancient humans and our relatives. Mapping their movements through genetic migrations , discovering more about what they ate and their...

Homo antecessor shared many facial features with modern humans. Source: Terrae Antiqvae

1 April, 2020 - 16:00 Alicia McDermott

‘Distinct’ Facial Features Have Been Around For A Very Long Time

A new study suggests that human facial features are found deep within our ancestry. Some say that the similarities between the facial features of modern humans and the controversial Early Pleistocene...

This small, gracile, almost complete cranium was found near Homo erectus tools in Ethiopia. Source: Dr. Michael J. Rogers, Southern Connecticut State University

5 March, 2020 - 23:04 Alicia McDermott

Homo Erectus Tools Challenge Single Species-Single Tech Thinking

Even a million and a half years ago, our ancestors understood that sometimes you need a simple hammerstone and other times a finely-made hand axe would better suit the task in front of you. New...

Representation of a volcanic super eruption. Source: Romolo Tavani /Adobe Stock

25 February, 2020 - 18:15 Alicia McDermott

Volcanic Super-Eruption Didn’t Scare Away Humans 74,000 Years Ago

New insight has emerged on our species’ eastward dispersal out of Africa thanks to a study published in Nature Communications this week. The paper focuses on stone tools found at a site in the Son...

Intricately decorated plaster walls in King Tut’s tomb

23 February, 2020 - 19:15 Alicia McDermott

New Evidence: Lost Queen Nefertiti May be Hidden in King Tut's Tomb!

Is there or isn’t there a hidden chamber, or chambers, connected to King Tutankhamun’s tomb? Just when we think the story reaches a conclusion a new study emerges throwing the mystery back into the...

The temazcal, sweat lodge, found in La Merced, Mexico City, Mexico. Source: INAH

23 January, 2020 - 22:59 Alicia McDermott

Finding Temazcaltitlán: Aztec ‘Sweat Lodge’ Holds Sacred Meaning in Mexico

The ruins of a 14th century Aztec ‘sweat lodge’, known as a temazcal, have been unearthed in Mexico City . It is located in the historic La Merced district and helps experts pinpoint where...

The Maya palace recently discovered in the Yucatan, Mexico. Source: INAH

26 December, 2019 - 18:57 Alicia McDermott

Maya Palace Emerges from Yucatan Jungle

Researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have confirmed the finding of an impressive Maya palace in the Archaeological Zone of Kulubá, in Yucatán . The 55-meter (180...

Representation of Homo Erectus. Source: crimson

18 December, 2019 - 18:00 Alicia McDermott

New Study Reveals Where Homo erectus Took Their Final Stand

Between 117,000 and 108,000 years the end was nigh for the hominins we call Homo erectus . They were the first of our ancestors to stand tall and walk upright, but even this ancient human species...