That future society never may know for sure. But one thing they won't likely guess is this: Those strange lines will actually be the derelict remnants of a theme park.

The project, known as Mysteries of the World, is a concept based on an idea by Erich von Daniken, author of such best-selling books as Chariots of the Gods (1968), which brought suspicions of the extra-terrestrial origins of man to pop culture's frontal lobe, just as humanity was starting to explore outer space. Though a scientific outlay of the great mysteries is said to be the attraction's focus, the idea is to appeal to all age groups.

It's no surprise that subjects once considered mysterious and arcane are suitable fodder for generally mainstream venues: the funhouse motif is a perfect place for Daniken's oft-ridiculed ancient astronauts cosmology. The project conjures images of photo ops with the kids next to a small man in an E.T. suit, of white-knuckle g-forces at the Ahknaton-a-tron, of a spin on Ezekiel's Ferris Wheel. However, it should be thought of closer to Sea World, which at least positions itself as educationally minded. The Mysteries of the World is intended as more educational in scope, and, with any luck, a groundbreaking endeavor in interactive multimedia technology.

Daniken's view of ancient legends as explainable if interpreted through the lens of science fiction was celebrated with a series of best-selling books, only to be undermined as fraud later when it was shown that he had actually faked important evidence. But, in the pre-millennial decade, his celebrity was raised again the icon for an idea whose time has come, cashed in on with each X Files episode and Graham Hancock book.

If you think the project's major players (Miracle Software, Sony Overseas) are dreaming up a mirage that might disappear the same way some of Daniken's scientific 'proof' did by the mid-1970s, think again. The project's Web site say the theme park is on schedule to open in April of 2002 and will attract a half-million visitors a year, a draw roughly equivalent of an art museum in major metropolitan area. At an anticipated cost of 80 million Swiss Francs, Mysteries of the World has business partners that include Feldschlosschen Group, Sony and the Swiss Railroads. Miracle, a software firm based in Langenthal, Switzerland, will assist the endeavor with interactive technology.

"Mysteries of the World intends to present existing, unexplained mysteries of the world by using state-of-the-art multimedia technology," states the project's Web site. "Those responsible for implementing Erich von Daniken's ideas will attempt to create a meeting ground for the general public and the world of science in order to illuminate and illustrate the fascinating mysteries of the world."

Daniken, one of the most successful non-fiction authors of all time (60 million copies), should be credited for helping the metaphysical bleed back 20th century hard skepticism by turning the anthropological explanations of human history into the stuff of science fiction. In Chariots of the Gods he wildly speculated that in the dim age of pre-history, Earth was visited by extra-terrestrials who were, in fact, in our own image. These Gods from outer space fertilized with female primitives, and when they returned thousands of years later, further nurtured the emerging genus homo sapiens. Breeding went on until the Earth creatures were able to use technology given to them by the Gods.