There is evidence to suggest that ancient astronomers knew that Saturn has rings, and there is also some evidence to suggest that they knew that Mars has a scar on its surface. However, none of these features can be observed with the naked eye, and the question arises as to how they could have known.
Apart from simply dismissing the evidence, we must conclude that the planets were easier to observe in ancient times. With no evidence to suggest that the astronomers had access to telescopes, the planets must have had closer orbits, or they must have been physically larger.
While it's possible to imagine that gas planets like Saturn may have been larger in ancient times, the idea that Mars, a rock planet, was larger has to be dismissed, and we end up with closer orbits as the most likely explanation for the ancient knowledge of Saturn's rings and Mars' scar.
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