"Diodorus recorded the strength of the Aśvaka opposition, noting that the women took up arms along with the men, preferring "a glorious death to a life of dishonour". Queen Cleophis was the main leader of Ashvaka during their war against Alexander.
Cleophis (Sanskrit: Kripa ) was a ruler and key figure in the war between the Ashvaka people and Alexander the Great. Cleophis was the mother of Assacanus, the Ashvaka's war-leader at the time of Alexander's invasion in 326 BCE. After her son's death in battle, Cleophis assumed command and negotiated a settlement that allowed her to retain her status.
The Ashvaka (from the word Ashva, meaning "horse" in Sanskrit, called Assacani in Greek) were an independent people who lived in parts of what is now the Swat and Buner valleys in modern-day Pakistan. These highlanders were rebellious, fiercely independent clans who resisted subjugation."
