A convergence of land and language (3500-550 BCE).- Iran and the Greeks (550-247 BCE).- Parthians, Sasanians, and Sogdians (247 BCE-651 CE).- The Iranization of Islam (651-1027).- The Turks: empire-builders and champions of Persian culture (1027-1722).- Under Europe's shadow (1722-1925).- Modernization and dictatorship: the Pahlavi years (1925-79).- The Islamic republic of Iran (1979-present)