We began with a map sketching exercise, showing the Maurya (c. 150 B.C.) and Gupta (c. 200 A.D.) empires on what is now India and Pakistan. We read a section in the text that addressed the successful efforts of leaders of both empires to unify the various diverse peoples under their rule. We went to the computer lab and investigated Sanskrit, Dravidian, Tamil and both early empires. This reinforced the readings from the text.