Reverberating today
Peiser studies known craters for clues to the past. But he also examines religions and cults, old and new, for signs of what might have happened way back then.
"I would not be surprised if the notorious rituals of human sacrifice were a direct consequence of attempts to overcome this trauma," he says of the South American impact craters. "Interestingly, the same deadly cults were also established in the Near East during the Bronze Age."
The impact of comets on myth and religion has reverberated through the ages, in Peiser's view.
"One has to take into consideration apocalyptic religions [of today] to understand the far-reaching consequences of historical impacts," he says. "After all, the apocalyptic fear of the end of the world is still very prevalent today and can often lead to fanaticism and extremism."
An obsession with the end of the world provides the legs on which modern-day terrorism stands, Peiser argues. Leaders of fundamentalist terror groups drum into the minds of their followers looming cataclysms inspired by ancient writings. Phrases run along these lines: a rolling up of the sun, darkening of the stars, movement of the mountains, splitting of the sky.
It is in the context of such apocalyptic religions that a large meteorite, enshrined in the Kaba in Mecca, became the most feared and venerated object of the Islamic faith, Peiser said.
By using such language, radical fundamentalist leaders instill "absolute commitment and fanaticism into their followers," Peiser said. "Once you believe that the end is imminent and that your direct action will hasten the coming of end-times, every atrocity is sanctioned."
Except that unless I've been missing something, radical Islamists don't seem heavily focused on the "end of the world" scenario. And I don't recall much of anything about them believing their actions will bring that about.