We understand from the passage that, in the - writings of various ancient and early civilizations, there are accounts of ----.

Ancient Babylonian manuscripts, Dark Age
chronicles and New Age prophecies, all speak of
catastrophes striking the Earth with devastating
consequences; and all regard these disasters as
instances of divine punishment. Many describe
global inundations - floods that engulf continents,
wiping out entire civilizations. Others describe fires
that rain down from the skies. Until recently few
scientists took these tales of catastrophe seriously,
regarding them as hangovers from a superstitious
age. But today these ancient accounts are regarded
as potentially valuable evidence for events that have
played a key role in the history of our planet, from its
very formation 4.5 million years ago. These events
are every bit as catastrophic as the legends claimed:
cosmic impacts that have dealt severe blows to life
many times in the past - and will do so again. The
dramatic view of Earth history now emerging could
hardly be more different from that held by many
scientists even as recently as the 1980s.