First Civilization Part 2 Chapter 14

 

Before 2.5 million  years ago, it is uncertain what the lineage of man was before this period -if there was any relation to monkeys at all.    A huge gap-the missing links-not one but more than one according to one schematic. Like most scientific theories the  Theory  of evolution is an educated guess and some educated guesses can be wrong if not in part then totally. You cannot compare a wild animal to a human they are two different types of creatures. Even if you have found a few large extinct gorilla bones in Africa some scientist named "Lucy."
The humans on Earth, such as Homo erectus, had been using simple tools for many millennia, but as time progressed, tools became far more refined and complex. At some point, humans began using fire for heat and for cooking. They also developed language in the Paleolithic period and a conceptual repertoire that included systematic burial of the dead and adornment of the living. During this period, all humans lived as hunter-gatherers, and were generally nomadic.

 

Archaic Homo Erectus

Homo Erectus appears by about 1.8 million years ago, via the transitional variety Homo ergaster.  The second part, "ergaster", is derived from the Ancient Greek ἐργαστήρ "workman", in reference to the comparatively advanced lithic technology developed by the species, introducing the Acheulean industry/culture.

 

Acheulean Tools

Their distinctive oval and pear-shaped hand axes have been found over a wide area and some examples attained a very high level of sophistication suggesting that the roots of human art, economy and social organization arose as a result of their development.
Homo erectus lived throughout Eurasia. Stone tools in Malaysia have been dated to be 1.83 million years old. The Peking Man fossil, discovered in 1929, is roughly 700,000 years old this was located in the area of southwest Asia.  Homo erectus moved from scavenging to hunting, developing the hunting-gathering lifestyle that would remain dominant throughout the Paleolithic into the Mesolithic. The unlocking of the new niche of hunting-gathering subsistence drove a number of further changes, behavioral and physiological, leading to the appearance of Homo heidelbergensis by some 600,000 years ago.

 

Homo Heidelbergensis

The hand-axe tradition originates after this period. The intermediate may have been Homo heidelbergensis, held responsible for the manufacture of improved Acheulean tool types, after 600,000 years BP. Flakes and axes coexisted in Europe, sometimes at the same site. The axe tradition, however, spread to a different range in the east. It appears in Arabia and India, but it does not appear in southeast Asia.

 

Hand Axes

The carrier species in Europe undoubtedly was Homo erectus. This type of human is more clearly linked to the flake tradition, which spread across southern Europe through the Balkans to appear relatively densely in southeast Asia. Many Mousterian finds from the Middle Paleolithic have been knapped using a Levallois technique, suggesting that Neanderthals evolved from Homo erectus.

 

Homo Sapiens

Also in Europe appeared a type of human intermediate between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens, sometimes summarized under "archaic Homo sapiens, typified by such fossils as those found at various locations in Europe.
From about 300,000 years ago, technology, social structures and behavior appear to grow more complex, with prepared-core technique lithic, and the earliest instances of burial and hunting-gathering subsistence.

 

Human Evolution Chart

Anything before Homo Ergaster is doubtful.  Modern humans are believed to have evolved from archaic Homo sapiens, who in turn evolved from Homo erectus. Varieties of archaic Homo sapiens (also "Archaics" for short) are included under the binomial name "Homo sapiens" because their brain size is very similar to that of modern humans. Archaic Homo sapiens had a brain size averaging 1200 to 1400 cubic centimeters, which overlaps with the range of modern humans. Archaics are distinguished from anatomically modern humans by having a thick skull, prominent brow ridges and the lack of a prominent chin.  Homo sapiens first appears about 200,000 years ago.
About 50,000 years ago, there was a marked increase in the diversity of artifacts. The first evidence of human fishing is also noted, from artifacts in places such as Blombos cave in South Africa. Firstly among the artifacts that archeologists found they could differentiate and classify those of less than 50,000 years into many different categories, such as projectile points, engraving tools, knife blades, and drilling and piercing tools. These new stone-tool types have been described as being distinctly differentiated from each other, as if each tool had a specific purpose.

 

A Paleolithic band of hunters

During the Paleolithic, humans grouped together in small societies such as bands, and subsisted by gathering plants and hunting or scavenging wild animals. The Paleolithic is characterized by the use of knapped stone tools, although at the time humans also used wood and bone tools. Other organic commodities were adapted for use as tools, including leather and vegetable fibers; however, due to their nature, these have not been preserved to any great degree.

 

Bone Tools

The Paleolithic (or Paleolithic) Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric era distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered, and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory. It extends from the earliest known use of stone tools, 3.6 million years ago, to the end of the Pleistocene around 10,000 BP. The Paleolithic era is followed by the Mesolithic. The date of the Paleolithic—Mesolithic boundary may vary by locality as much as several thousand years.
The Upper Paleolithic or Late Stone age is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, right before the advent of agriculture. 
Concepts of civilization and culture are not always considered interchangeable. For example, a small nomadic tribe may be judged not to have a civilization, but it would surely be judged to have a culture (defined by its "the arts, customs, habits... beliefs, values, behavior and  material habits that constitute a people's way of life").
This period has the earliest remains of organized settlements in the form of campsites, some with storage pits. These were often located in narrow valley bottoms, possibly to make hunting of passing herds of animals easier. Some sites may have been occupied year round, though more generally, they seem to have been used seasonally; peoples moved between them to exploit different food sources at different times of the year. Hunting was important, and deer, and wild boar may well have been the species of  greatest importance to them.

 

An Auroch under attack by wolves

Auroch calves were especially vulnerable to wolves, while healthy adult aurochs probably did not have to fear these predators. In prehistoric Europe, North Africa and Asia, big cats like lions or tigers and hyenas were additional predators which likely preyed on aurochs ( now extinct).

First Civilization Part 2 Chapter 13

 

 

The migration from Mars to Earth did not happen all at once but gradually over a long period of time.  This story is about some of the last of the migrants who came to Earth. The story concerns the Ancient Astronauts who landed in Eurasia.  Their starship landed in an outpost area previously explored so there was equipment on the ground where they landed.

 

The Supreme Leader wanted to move to a less conspicuous location.  So they sent the clones down to dismantle the outpost and brought the equipment to a new location.  They landed in the area of Mount Ararat.  Mount Ararat  is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat (the tallest peak in Turkey, and the entire Armenian plateau with an elevation of 5,137 m/16,854 ft) and Lesser Ararat (with an elevation of 3,896 m/12,782 ft).

 

The Peaks of Mount Ararat

The Ararat massif is about 40 km (25 mi) in diameter. They landed according to ancient tradition near Mount Masis, the highest peak in the Armenian Highland, which is therefore also called Mount Ararat.  Mount Ararat is located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey near the border with Iran, Armenia and Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between the Aras and Murat Rivers. Its summit is located some 16 km (10 mi) west of the Iran and 32 km (20 mi) south of the Armenian border. The Ararat plain runs along its northwest to western side:

 

The clones had many of their creator's genetic traits which were not discrete features but were instead traits that controlled height and skin color. These complex traits were products of many genes. The influence of these genes was mediated, to varying degrees, by the environment they had  to adapt to.. The degree to which an organism's genes contribute to a complex trait is called heritability.  So the clones looked like the Ancient Astronauts themselves outwardly.  Each member of the crew was required to donate DNA for the clone reproduction.  Their clones were their offspring since they could not reproduce among themselves.  The full set of hereditary material in humans (usually the combined DNA sequences of all chromosomes) is called the genome.  It was like that with the Ancient Astronauts. They like other species had so called sex chromosomes, which are special in that they determine the sex of the individual.  

 

One the Ancient Astronaut Clones

Asexual reproduction is  used by in multicellular organisms including  clones, producing offspring that inherit their genome from a single parent. Offspring that are genetically identical to their parents are called clones and this was how the Ancient Astronauts made them.  But they did not give them the same amount of knowledge or intelligence they possessed only a high percentage of it.  They were capable of learning and acquiring new knowledge.  They had all the emotional traits of their creators.
At this time the area around Mount Ararat was covered in lush forests and not a bare hilly area like today.  They wanted to find a location to hide their spaceship and build a landing pad for it there.

 

Building a landing pad on an unknown alien world can be deadly work

The Ancient Astronauts with anti-gravity beams raised up the spacecraft allowing the clones to build a pad on the ground where the ship could lay so that it fit in with the area they were located. First they had to clear the area of growth around the pad while concealing it.  For the pad they constructed it from natural materials found in the area, earth, rocks, and materials from the original outpost.

 

The remains of the landing pad today

 

The clones also had emotions just like their creators.  Their desire for companionship was one of their strongest drives and that is what was to cause them trouble.  They seeing their masters with female and male partners, they  wanted the same  form of  romantic relationship not knowing they had the same reproductive problems as their creators. They had never been told.  Their creators thought it would not be an issue.  But some of the clones wandered off and returned. They tried sexual intercourse with each other.  They were warned that they were putting everyone's life in danger by wandering off.  Then they were told they were not made to have children.  Their job was to serve their creators.  But when head counts were taken daily some of the clones came up missing at each count.  The Supreme leader at a council meeting said," Now they think they know more than us."  But the Supreme leader added at the council meeting said," We should eliminate those who have been disobedient and treat those who have obeyed with gratitude and happiness."  But no one agreed on the method of elimination so nothing was done.

First Civilization Part 2 Chapter 12

 

Sometime after 3 mya the Ancient Astronauts decided it was safe  to establish colonies on Earth.  Since they had been scouting the planet for some time they could easily pick out the locations where a colony could get its' start.    Their leadership which consisted of a council of twelve and a supreme leader was same political structure that was expected to rule each colony. There were also some other considerations to be made in the division of labor that would be needed to build these new colonies.  It was suggested that their clones be used to build the colonies so they came to an agreement on that.  But there was still more problems in the way of the Ancient Astronauts migrating to Earth: Mars has less than half the gravity of Earth.  The atmosphere might be safe to breath but it would be different and could affect the colonists health and it was almost certain some would get sick.  So anyone going outside their spacecraft upon landing would be required to where a space suit until acclimation was achieved.  In the meantime they could create clones on Mars through genetic engineering and their clones would could go outside and do the work.  Their clones in fact were their children.  They were unable to reproduce in what was normal for their race due to a past we now seem to be heading towards.

 

A View of the Earth and the Moon as seen by the Ancient Astronauts approaching from Mars

 

When the mothership above the planet Mars was fully loaded with the Ancient Astronaut migrants with their belongings they left that planet and headed to Earth. We on Earth have no idea what it would be like to migrate from one planet to another.  The closest analogy would be explorers from Europe discovering the New World on the other side of the Atlantic.  The differences is that it would be more technological and crossing would take place in space.  The mother ship would carry the spacecraft that would bring the new settlers down to the planet and so most of them might be in these spacecraft until launched over their destination. There would also be dangers during the transit- in space things could happen. The mothership's main engine, based on Ancient Astronaut technology; was capable of converting the vacuum of space into tachyon energy as well as having normal rockets This  spaceship would "ride" the wave of tachyons and travel faster than light.  However, this feature had to be activated with perfect timing (by a  navigator), at a point when space at the origin and destination are in the correct phase.

 

The Ancient Astronaut Mothership approaching Earth

The plan in the beginning was to take three motherships and launch colony spacecraft with  the migrants to different locations on the planet Earth.  Each group of them boarded a colony spacecraft which took them to their destinations on the planet below.   This migration did not take place all at once but over a long period of time.  Many were not ready to leave their homes at this time,  because the conditions on Mars only gradually got worse over a long period of time.

First Civilization Part 2 Chapter 11

 

 

How long the Ancient Astronauts lived on Mars before things began to take a change for the worse is not known. But it could have be around 4 mya ago  They did not see it coming at first when the first signs began to appear.  There were already exploratory missions being sent to Earth as that planet had moved more into the habitable zone of the solar system while Mars seemed to be moving out of it.  So they had to look after themselves in order  to survive.  They may have taken to the first steps to explore Earth around 3 mya ago and possibly making small outposts there.
Straddling the Northern Ocean boundary in Mars’ western hemisphere is a massive volcano-tectonic province known as the Tharsis region or the Tharsis bulge. This immense, elevated structure is thousands of kilometers in diameter and covers up to 25% of the planet’s surface.  Averaging 7–10 km above the Martian “sea” level, Tharsis contains the highest elevations on the planet and the largest known volcanoes in the Solar System. Three enormous volcanoes, Ascaeus Mons, Pavonis Mons., and Arsia Mons (collectively known as the Tharsis Montes), situated and aligned NE-SW along the crest of the bulge. They had been active for some time. The vast Alba Mons(formerly Alba Patera) occupies the northern part of the region. The huge shield volcano Olympus Mons  lies off the main bulge, at the western edge of the province. It was located in the Northern Ocean and had been active too- probably longer than all the others.

 

Olympus Mons was off the coast surrounded by the Northern Ocean

An area near these volcanoes was responsible for rift valleys and grabens- a portion of the Martian crust bounded on two sides by faults.  This was an area where rock was being pulled apart by powerful tectonic forces.   The tectonic plates on Mars were completely different than that of Earth and Mars is only about 1/3 the size of Earth.  So the Ancient Astronauts were well aware of the area and had no colonies near it for those reasons, but they kept they eyes on as it would be a good area for another super-volcano to develop.

 

The Tharsis Bulge area from the ground

The first sign of trouble came at the Martian Equator the tectonic plates collided to where rocks were being pulled apart making an immense valley. Dust was thrown into the atmosphere and then came the Mars-quakes, up to 9.0 or more and the shaking could be felt for kilometers.  Through tectonic plate action  an immense system of deep inter-connected canyons and troughs began to form into what is now known as Mars' greatest riff valley the Valles Marineris.

 

Rift Valley formation always leads to Mars-quakes (or Earth- quakes on Earth)

A huge split in the surface of the planet began to open up creating canyons in some places 300 km wide and 10 km deep  These deep canyons opened up ground for nearly 4000 km, nearly a quarter of the planet's surface and some Ancient Astronauts were misplaced from their communities by it and some may had lost their lives as well.

 

The length of the Valles Marineris is about same distance as it is from NYC to LA

 

Based on orbital observations and the examination of the Martian meteorite collection, the surface of Mars appears to be composed primarily of basalt. Some evidence suggests that a portion of the Martian surface is more silica-rich than typical basalt, and may be similar to andesitic rocks (a dark-colored volcanic rock composed essentially of plagioclase feldspar and one or more mafic minerals,such as hornblende or biotite) on Earth; these observations may also be explained by silica glass(sand). Much of the surface on Mars is deeply covered by finely grained iron(III) oxide dust today.  This was the next sign of impending doom- the spread of the Iron dust in the atmosphere.

 

Current models of the planet's interior imply a core region about 1,480 km in radius, consisting primarily of iron with about 14–17% sulfur. This iron sulfide core was completely  fluid then, and had twice the concentration of the lighter elements than exist at Earth's core. The core was surrounded by a silicate mantle that formed many of the tectonic and volcanic features on the planet, but then was very active. The average thickness of the planet's crust is about 50 km, with a maximum thickness of 125 km. Earth's crust, averaging 40 km, is only one third as thick as Mars’ crust, relative to the sizes of the two planets.

 

Mars Current Atmospheric Situation (yellow indicates what is left of the magnetosphere)

Although Mars has no evidence of a current structured global magnetic field,  observations show that parts of the planet's crust have been magnetized, and that alternating polarity reversals of its dipole field have occurred in the past. This paleomagnetism of magnetically susceptible minerals has properties that are very similar to the alternating bands found on the ocean floors of Earth.   One theory, published in 1999 and re-examined in October 2005 (with the help of the Mars Global Surveyor), is that these bands demonstrate plate tectonics  on Mars four billion years ago, before the planetary dynamo slowed down to a crawl and caused the planet's magnetic field to slowly fade away.

 

The Geology of Mars Today

But at the time when the Ancient Astronauts were living on the planet the core was completely fluid. There were plate tectonics and the planetary dynamo was beginning to wane but still  providing the planet with a magnetic field that protected the atmosphere from the stellar wind and radiation from space.  But as the dynamo began to slow down and the magnetic field of the planet began to weaken. The Ancient Astronauts noticed this almost immediately.  Their scientists reported that the plates were slowing down but there was still volcano activity in the Tharsis region.   Now these volcanoes seemed to be bringing the liquid core of the planet to the planet's surface. Erupting and blowing it's iron core into the atmosphere. This is  one of the reasons you see so much granular iron oxide on the planet's surface today.  It would only be a matter of time before the magnetic field faded and the atmosphere would disappear whisked out into space by the stellar wind.

 

History of water on Mars

The Ancient Astronauts had been surveying the Earth for some time as earlier indicated, and had come to the conclusion the planet may be ready for colonization.  Time to check it again and see if it  would now be the right place to migrate to.  So that is what they did.

First Civilization Part 2 Chapter 10

 

It took the Ancient Astronauts over one hundred years to send spacecraft powered by warp drive to Mars with the intention of migration. They landed at various locations around the planet.  Besides Cydonia the Blocks of Aram may also been a place for Ancient Astronauts habitation and there is more besides these two places

 

Cydonia Face (top right) and Pyramid city (lower left)

Cydonia is a region on the planet Mars, that has attracted both scientific and popular interest for some time the name originally referred to the albedo feature (a distinctively colored area) that was visible from earthbound telescopes. The area borders the plains of Acidalia Planitia and the Arabia Terra highlands.

Early Plant Life on Mars

 

By about 5 Ga. something similar to modern oxygenic photosynthesis had probably developed on Mars, which made the sun’s energy available not only to autotrophs -plants, algae and certain bacteria but also to the heterotrophs-animals, fungi and protozoa that consumed them.  This type of photosynthesis, which became by far the most common, used the abundant carbon dioxide and water as raw materials and, with the energy of sunlight, produced energy-rich organic molecules (carbohydrates).  Moreover, oxygen was released as a waste product of the photosynthesis. At first, it became bound up with limestone, iron, and other minerals. There is substantial proof of iron-oxide rich layers in the geological strata of Mars that correspond with this period- this also helped gave the planet its color.

The ALH84001 meteorite may be the proof for life on Mars we are looking for:  the meteorite weighs 1.93 kilograms (4.3 lb.). The sample was ejected from Mars about 17 million years ago and spent 11,000 years in or on the Antarctic ice sheets. Composition analysis by NASA revealed a kind of magnetite that on Earth is only found in association with certain microorganisms. Then, in August 2002, another NASA team led by Thomas Keptra published a study indicating that 25% of the magnetite in ALH 84001 occurs as small, uniform-sized crystals that, on Earth, is associated only with biologic activity, and that the remainder of the material appears to be normal inorganic magnetite.

 

Bacteria on Earth that is similar to that found in the meteorite ALH84001

The extraction technique did not permit determination as to whether the possibly biological magnetite was organized into chains as would be expected. The meteorite displays indication of relatively low temperature secondary mineralization by water and show evidence of pre-terrestrial aqueous alteration. Evidence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons has been identified with the levels increasing away from the surface. Some structures resembling the mineralized casts of terrestrial bacteria and their appendages (fibrils) (could also be freeze-dried worms) or by-products (extra-cellular polymeric substances) occur in the rims of carbonate globules and pre-terrestrial aqueous alteration regions. The size and shape of the objects is consistent with Earthly  fossilized bacteria. In November 2009, NASA scientists said that a recent, more detailed analysis showed that the meteorite "contains strong evidence that life may have existed on ancient Mars.

 

Atlas of Mars

Cydonia lies in the planet’s northern hemisphere in a transitional zone between the heavily cratered regions to the South, and relatively smooth plains to the North. Some planetologists believe that the northern plains was once part of the Northern Ocean, and that Cydonia may have been a coastal zone.  More than likely plant and animal life began to exist on the planet when that occurred. The Martian city in Cydonia was very large and on the coast.  It had some very large structures and a large number of  Ancient Astronauts could have lived there:

 

The City of Cydonia and Region

Many want to believe that just because Ancient Astronauts built pyramids on Mars they would come to Earth and show men how to construct them.

Close up of a Martian Pyramid

I disagree with this theory.  The structures that were built on Mars would have been built of different materials and for different purposes.

There is also the face on Mars not far from the City of Cydonia some think it was put there because the Sphinx was built near the pyramids in Egypt.  The problem is no one is sure who built the Sphinx and what its real purpose was although theories abound.  On Earth, it is a mythical creature with a lion’s body and a human head.  The face on Mars looks nothing like that. 

My Drawing of the City of Cydonia

(1) Instead of a pyramid there is a dome on the west side of the city:

 

 

(2) Then they built a pyramid next to it as you go into the city:

(3) After that you enter the city you enter the plaza:

(4) Then you come to the City center:

(5) After that the East Pyramid:

 

(6) After that you would come to a plaza overlooking the Northern Ocean:

Then to the west  of the East Pyramid you would come to the Ancient Astronaut Space Base:

 

First Civilization Part 2 Chapter 9

 

 

 

Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of life on Mars owing to the planet's proximity and similarity to Earth. Fictional Martians have been a recurring feature of popular entertainment of the 20th and 21st centuries, but it remains an open question whether life currently exists on Mars, or has existed there in the past.

The Mariner 4 probe performed the first successful flyby of the planet Mars, returning the first pictures of the Martian surface in 1965. The photographs showed an arid Mars without rivers, oceans or any signs of life. Further, it revealed that the surface (at least the parts that it photographed) was covered in craters, indicating a lack of plate tectonics and weathering of any kind for quite some time. The probe also found that Mars has no global magnetic field that would protect the planet from potentially life-threatening cosmic rays.  The probe was able to calculate the atmospheric pressure on the planet to be about 0.6 kPa (compared to Earth's 101.3 kPa), meaning that liquid water could not exist on the planet's surface. But when Mars was young the atmospheric pressure was much higher maybe half of that of Earth since it would have still had it's atmosphere, and water probably existed on the planet's surface.. After Mariner 4, the search for life on Mars changed to a search for bacteria-like living organisms rather than for multicellular organisms, as the environment was clearly too harsh for these.

 

 

How early Mars might have looked

 

This story will explain why this planet’s environment is as we see it today. Although this story could have really happened- if not in this way then in some similar manner.  However, there is life on Mars now and in the past. It requires a human mission to go the planet not a roving computerized satellite controlled machine to find it: since scientists can argue over a machine’s discoveries and make the finds inconclusive or explain the discovery away.

 

 

This is where life on Mars might exist Today

Science has led us to believe that liquid water is necessary  life as we know it. That it cannot exist on the surface of Mars under its present low atmospheric pressure, and temperature, except at the lowest shaded elevations for short periods, and liquid water does not appear at the surface itself. However, in June 2000, evidence for water currently under the surface of Mars was discovered in the form of flood-like gullies. Deep subsurface water deposits near the planet's liquid core might form a present-day habitat for life. However, in March 2006, astronomers announced the discovery of similar gullies on the Moon, which is believed never to have had liquid water on its surface. The surface water on the moon was later confirmed by the LRO/LACROOS  mission.  There is just one major problem with this discovery- Mars is not the moon !  They are two completely different planets.

Ice discovered beneath the soil by Phoenix Mission

 

In March 2004, NASA announced that its rover Opportunity had discovered evidence that Mars was, in the ancient past, a wet planet. This  raised hopes that evidence of past life might be found on the planet today. ESA confirmed that the Mars Express orbiter had directly detected huge reserves of water ice at Mars' South Pole in January 2004. On July 28, 2005, ESA announced that they had recorded photographic evidence of surface water ice near Mars' North Pole. The Phoenix Mars Lander from NASA, which landed in the Mars Arctic plain in May 2008, confirmed the presence of frozen water near the surface. This was confirmed when bright white crystalline material, exposed by the digging arm of the Lander, was found to have vaporized and disappeared in 3 to 4 days after exposure. This has been attributed to sub-surface ice, exposed by the digging and sublimated on exposure to the atmosphere. So there is still water on the planet it is in the form of ice under the surface.  This could indicate that liquid water could exist deep underground where conditions would be more favorable.

 

The North Pole of Mars in the early Amazonian Period

Recent analysis of Martian sandstones, using data obtained from orbital spectrometry, suggests that the waters that previously existed on the surface of Mars would have had too high a salinity to support most Earth-like life.. This analysis found that the Martian water in the locations they studied all had water salinity, aw = 0.78 to 0.86—a level fatal to most Terrestrial life.  Haloarchaea, however, are able to live in hypersaline solutions, up to the saturation point. It means that Humans could not existed using such water but who is to say if the Ancient Astronauts could not have used it or any kind of life that lived naturally on the planet, and since the Ancient Astronauts were not native to the planet they could have constructed desalination plants to purify the water had it been toxic to them.

 

The Face on Mars (inset Viking Mission. Large face HR by later mission)

 

The Face on Mars is one of the most striking and remarkable images taken during the Viking missions to the red planet. Unmistakably resembling a human face, the image caused many to hypothesize that it was the work of an extraterrestrial civilization.  When it was first imaged, and into the 21st century, the "Face" was near universally accepted to be an optical illusion, an example of pareidolia- a natural geological feature resembling a human face. After an analysis of the higher resolution Mars Global Surveyor data NASA stated, "A detailed analysis of multiple images of this feature reveals a natural looking Martian hill whose illusory face-like appearance depends on the viewing angle and angle of illumination".

 

The Sphinx and Pyramids on Earth.  Is there any precedence for it from Mars?

The Cydonia facial pareidolia inspired individuals and organizations interested in extraterrestrial intelligence about visitations to Earth from the Red Planet.  The images were published in this context in 1977.   Some commentators, most notably Richard C. Hoagland,  believe the "Face" to be evidence of a long-lost Martian civilization along with other features they believe are present, such as the pyramids of Cydonia on Mars, which they argue are part of a ruined city.  However, the ruined city may have actually have been a ruined city.  The face may not be a face even though both are in the same area.  There are also many other features on Mars that indicate the possibility of habitation there by someone.