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I'm sure everyone remembers the absolute classic painting by Adrian Smith of the Emperor facing down Horus on the bridge of the Vengeful Spirit, above the shattered body of Sangunius. However, there's one background detail that I'd never really paid much heed to, but on closer inspection has me intrigued. These curiously unidentified Marines. Has there ever been any confirmation on who these guys are? The most logical explanation would be an older depiction of the Custodes, but IIRC the "golden armour and pointy helmet" look has been around for a long, long time, pre-dating this artwork(?)- I could be wrong on that though. I'm also wondering if they represent the "Emperor's Legion" which IIRC was retconned but was briefly mentioned in a few pieces of fluff, prior to the Heresy being more extensively fleshed out. They appear to be wearing Mk, 4 power armour judging by the legs, though the pauldrons, backpacks and helmets are different.

http://i.imgur.com/m57dkBR.jpg http://i.imgur.com/TwetQl5.jpg

The ancient Mesopotamian dispute fable between the palm and the tamarisk trees, written 2000 BC (more here on the importance of gardens in ancient Mesopotamia): The tamarisk says: 'I am much bigger!' And the date-palm argues back, saying: 'I am much better than you! You, O tamarisk, are a useless tree. What good are your branches? There's no such thing as a tamarisk fruit! Now, my fruits grace the king's table; the king himself eats them, and people say nice things about me. I make a surplus for the gardener, and he gives it to the queen; she, being a mother, nourishes her child upon the gifts of my strength, and the adults eat them too. My fruits are always in the presence of royalty.' The tamarisk makes his voice heard; his speech is even more boastful. 'My body is superior to yours! It's much more beautiful than anything of yours. You are like a slave girl who fetches and carries daily needs for her mistress.' He goes on to point out the king's table, couch, and eating bowl are made from tamarisk wood, that the king's clothes are made using tools of tamarisk wood; likewise the temples of the gods are full of objects made from tamarisk. The date-palm counters by pointing out that her fruits are the central offering in the cult; once they have been taken from the tamarisk dish, the bowl is used to collect up the garbage. The date palm stood for roughly half of southern (grain the other half, more or less), with ill effects for dental health. Dates were a staple food, and destroying your enemies' orchards was a common and heinous way to damage their agricultural economy (Greeks did the same with olive trees, which were sacred to them): http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/rawlinson/2assyria/images/plate111.jpg