Is this a ‘warrior woman’ statue spotted on Mars?

An image released by Curiosity rover of NASA showing a rock resembling an ancient Egyptian woman warrior statue has stirred an online debate.

The latest images from the Curiosity rover suggest an extraterrestrial army once roamed the red planet. An eagle-eyed amateur astronomer spotted the curious-looking statue that appears to be head of an ancient warrior woman.

Joe White, 45, a space video journalist from Bristol, said: ‘I have found what seems to be a small feminine looking statue head on Mars in Gale Crater in this recent Curiosity Rover image from NASA. ‘Only a few inches in size or less. ‘It resembles a carved depiction of a female warrior wearing a helmet similar to some found on Earth from the middle ages.

‘It has a possible emblem on the forehead and some very interesting facial features that look almost Egyptian in artistic style. ‘This is one of hundreds of similar artefacts that I have found on Mars in recent years and may go further to show that there was an ancient and artistic civilisation on Mars in the past.

Several times over the last few years, rock formations on the Red Planet have excited the internet with the possibility of a civilisation on Mars – notably including the Mars Bigfoot.

The most famous case on Mars is a 1976 picture that was famously dubbed the Face on Mars – what looked like an ancient monument depicting a human face.