Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.83

c6.83

Aspasian territory.—It was a minor state in Alexander's time. The Iranian name Aspa corresponds to the Sanskrit Aśva or Aśvaka (Law, Indological Studies, I, p. 1). The Aspasians, as they were called by the Greeks, may be regarded as denoting some western branch of the Aśvaka or Aśmaka tribe (Cambridge History of India, I, 352, n. 3). Their country lay in Eastern Afghanistan (Law, *Tribes in Ancient India*, p. 180). According to some it was situated in Suvāstu (modern Swat Valley).¹ The Aśmakas were the first Indian people to bear the brunt of Alexander’s invasion. One of the cities of the Aspasian territory is said to have stood on or near the river Euaspla which is supposed to be identical with the Kunar, a tributary of the Kabul river.²