The Longanus (also Longanos or Loitanus) was a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in north-eastern

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

on the Mylaean plain. As recorded by

Polybius Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...

, it was where the

Mamertines The Mamertines (, "sons of Mars", ) were mercenaries of Italian origin who had been hired from their home in Campania by Agathocles (361–289 BC), Tyrant of Syracuse and self-proclaimed King of Sicily. After Syracuse lost the Seventh Sicilia ...

were drastically defeated by

Hiero II of Syracuse Hiero II (; also Hieron ; ; c. 308 BC – 215 BC) was the Greek tyrant of Syracuse, Greek Sicily, from 275 to 215 BC, and the illegitimate son of a Syracusan noble, Hierocles, who claimed descent from Gelon. He was a former general of Pyrrhus ...

in around 269 BC. The small settlement of Longane was near it. The river was considered so important that it was represented as a God in coins. Some archeologists identify it with the river that arises in the valley of

Fondachelli-Fantina Fondachelli-Fantina (Gallo-Italic of Sicily: ''Funnaghellu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. Situated between Novara and Francavilla di Sicilia, in the southern Peloritani mountains, it ...

town called ''Patrì'' or Fantina.

References

Rivers of Italy Rivers of Sicily Former rivers {{Italy-river-stub