The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c25.39

v1.c25.39

³ In the Greek accounts a people called Aspasioi are found in the Choes (either the Alishang or Kūnar) Valley and a people called Assakēnoi in the Swāt Valley. Both names are supposed to represent the same Indian name Açvaka, connected with *açva* 'horse.' If so, the two Greek names may be due to local varieties of pronunciation, and it may be noted that the form Aspasioi would then approximate to Irānian speech, in which *aspa* is the equivalent of *açva*. Strabo, according to the MSS. (xv, C. 691, C. 698), calls the Aspasioi Hypasioi; this is often emended in modern texts to Hippasioi, on the supposition that the Greeks knew their *hippos* to be the etymological equivalent of *aspa* and attempted a translation. This is extremely unlike the Greek way in these matters. The confusion is made worse by another people called Astakēnoi appearing in the Pushkalāvatī region, whose name is supposed not to be connected etymologically with that of their neighbours, the Assakēnoi.