Archean

2021

After accreting from a spinning mass of gas and dust, the molten planet Earth cooled for 500 million years before its rock crust formed and oceans condensed at the beginning of the Archean Eon. Named from the Ancient Greek arkhḗ (ἀρχή), meaning ‘beginning’, it was during this 1.5-billion-year period that oceanic chemical reactions transformed organic molecules into single-celled organisms known as prokaryotes: the earliest known life on Earth.

Roughly 4 billion years later, in the year 02021, the human artist Rigtsel used digital photographic techniques to capture images of dust and ice crystals and create a depiction of the genesis of earth, water, and life in the Archean Eon, eternalizing the artwork on the blockchain for generations of beings to enjoy.