Alexander The Great and The Kambojas - Battle Against The Ashvayanas (Aspasioi)

Battle Against The Ashvayanas (Aspasioi)

• Ascending the Kunar valley, Alexander came into conflict with the Ashvayanas or Aspasioi. The modern remnants of these clans are the Pachai, the Asip or Isap or the Yusufzai in the Kabul valley between the rivers Kabul and Indus. They offered stubborn resistance to the invading army. Alexander was seriously wounded in the right shoulder by an arrow and his officers Ptolemy and Leonatos were also injured. Next morning however, Alexander succeeded in breaching one of the walls of the citadel. The Ashvayanas then fled from the gates and made for the hills, leaving the Macedonians to raze the city to the ground and move on to confront another clan of the Ashvayanas located in city of Andaka.
• The Ashvayanas of Andaka put up some resistance but soon surrendered to the superior force.
• Leaving Krateros in charge of Andaka citadel, Alexander proceeded along river Kunar against the Guraeans - the main branch of the Ashvayanas. The defenders however set fire to their city and fled to the mountains with the Macedonians in pursuit. Ptolemy and his contingent first chased them on horseback, but when the ascent became too steep, proceeded on foot till they were near the Ashvayanas. The Ashvayana chief turned back and hit Ptolemy in the chest with a long spear which pierced his cuirass but didn't enter his body. Ptolemy was able to retaliate and struck the Guraeus chief on the thigh, and as the man fell he managed to cut off his arms. With their chief dead, some of the Ashvayanas took to their heels, while others turned back to rescue the corpse and fought on grimly. Alexander arrived to reinforce Ptolemy's contingent and after a bitter struggle the Ashvayanas eventually vanished into the hills.
• Alexander crossed the mountains and reached the city of Arigaon in the province of Bajaur. Here the story of the Guraeans was repeated. The Arigaonian Asvayanas set fire to their city and fled to the hills. Alexander then ordered that the citadel of Arigaon be developed into a strong military base for the Macedonians.
• Alexander's scouts found that the fleeing Ashvayanas had assembled on a remote hill. Learning this, Alexander, accompanied by Ptolemy and Leonatos, moved towards them. Seeing the Macedonians approach, the Ashvayanas made a tactical mistake by descending onto plain ground on a small hill. A sharp conflict ensued. The Ashvayanas "the stoutest warriors of the neighborhood" (according to Arrian) were too confident of their numbers and underestimated the Macedonians. This complacency, coupled with the large number confined to a small place severely restricted their mobility, and determined attacks by Alexander, Ptolemy and Leonatos from different directions broke their ranks. The Macedonians captured 40,000 men and 230,000 bullocks which, even allowing for exaggeration, suggests that this was not really an army of trained soldiers but an agglomeration of whole tribes, including a large number of non-combatants.
• It appears that the Ashvayanas were good farmers and cattle breeders. The large number of bullocks, 230,000 according to Arrian, were superior to what the Macedonians had known, and Alexander sent them back to farmers in Macedonia. This account agrees with Kautiliya's Arthashastra which attests that besides warfare, the Kambojas also practised cattle-breeding and agriculture.