What is "cleophis"

Cleophis ( Sanskrit: Kripa) was a key figure in the war between the Assacani people and Alexander the Great. Cleophis was the mother of Assacanus, the Assacanis' 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. Later accounts claim Cleophis had a son by Alexander, a notion dismissed by historians.

The Assacani (called Ashvakas in Sanskrit, from the word Ashva, meaning "horse") were a free people who lived in parts of the Swat and Buner valleys in modern-day Pakistan. These highlanders were rebellious, fiercely independent clans who resisted subjugation. Their descendants survive today and are now known as ethnic Afghans or Pashtuns.