1.	Focus Question:   How did Persia/Iran learn the techniques of rule and what role did Zoroaster play in national identity?
	What were three major THEMES (characteristics) of the period 600 B.C. to A.D. 200?  Locate Iran/Persia on a map.  Traditionally what has determined the location of major towns and cities in Iran?  What was the fate of the Elamite kingdom?  When did the Aryans settle on the Iranian plateau?   What were the two most prominent of the ancient Iranian peoples?  Which empire was destroyed by the Medes and Neo-Babylonians in 612 B.C.E.  What was a major part of the genius of the Achaemenids unparalleled imperial success?  Pre-Achaemenid religious texts indicate the Iranian religion was most like which other peoples?  What religious concepts of Zoroastrianism probably influenced other beliefs?  What is the focus of Zoroaster's reforms?  What led to the demise of  Zoroastrianism as a major force in Iran?  Where and by whom is Zoroastrianism still practiced?
2.	Focus Question: What was the nature of the Achaemenid Empire and why was it successful?
	What dual heritage does Iran possess? Which empire did the Persians supplant?  How large was the Persian empire?  What forces weakened the state internally?  What was Cyrus' most notable legacy to his heirs? What was the fate of the Achaemenid state?  How did the Achaemenids justify their rule?  What methods did the Achaemenids use to rule such a vast empire? What was the common/bureaucratic language of the Near East during Achaemenid rule?   Why did the Achaemenid economy flourish?
3.	Focus Question: What was the nature of Mauryan India, when did it flourish, and why did it fall?
	In Indian history, how many times has a substantial part of India been ruled by a single state?  How much of an impact did Alexander the Great have on the Indian subcontinent? What was the basis for empire in north India? What was the first Ganges kingdom strong enough for imperial expansion?  What was the relationship between the Mauryans and the Seleucids?   From which source do we learn much of Ashoka's reign?  How was Ashoka changed by the conquest of Kalinga?   What religious tradition did he support?  Why did the Mauryan empire weaken and fall?  With what is the name of Ashoka associated today?   In the "Edicts of Ashoka", who is the Beloved of the Gods  and what does he consider the greatest victory? What characteristics did the Mauryan bureaucracy possess?  Which empire was the probable model for Mauryan government?  How was the Mauryan state administrated?  What characteristics mark the legacy of Mauryan rule?
4.	Focus Question:  What was the principle characteristics on post-Mauryan India?
	How did the political history of North India differ from southern India from 200 B.C to 300 C.E.?  What was the basis of the economy?   What factors contributed to making  Indian commerce so important during this period?  Who inspired the greatest achievements in art during this period?  What style characterized the Gandharan school of art?  What influence did Hellenistic models have on Indian art?  What is the main concern of the Mahabharata and in what language was it composed?  What major developments shaped the Hindu tradition during this period?  Who typically sponsored the Buddhist and Jain monasteries?  Why did Buddhism fail to keeps its distinct identity in India?
5.	Focus Question:  What influence did Greek Hellenistic culture have upon Iran and India?
	What allowed the Seleucid rule to survive in many eastern areas and what ultimately weakened that control?  How did the Seleucid attitude toward cultural mixing differ from Alexander's?  What was the main common language?  What role did the new urban centers of the Hellenistic age have on later religious developments?  Who were the Indo-Greeks?  What was the basic cultural orientation of the Indo-Greeks?  What was the main cultural role of Bactria?  How did the Indo-Greeks react to Indian culture?  What contributions did the Indo-Greeks make to later civilizations?
6.	Focus Question:  What influence did Steppe Peoples have upon Iran and India?
	Where did the Parthians establish their empire and who did they replace? The Parthians and what other empire were the chief Eurasian powers?  What accounts for the decline of the Parthians?  How did the Parthians change culturally after the mid-first century C.E.?  What was the Parthians' attitude toward religion?  Why are Sakas and Kushans often ignored by modern historians?  Who are the Yüeh Chih?  What were the lasting cultural contributions of the Kushans?  What religious movement did they support?
	Zarathushtra Ahura Mazda magi Shahanshah Cyrus the Great satraps pax Achaemenica Chandragupta Maurya