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The Longanus (also Longanos or Loitanus) was a 
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in north-eastern Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
on the Mylaean plain. As recorded by Polybius
Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail.
Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...
, it was where the Mamertines
The Mamertines ( la, Mamertini, "sons of Mars", el, Μαμερτῖνοι) 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. ...
were drastically defeated by Hiero II of Syracuse
Hiero II ( el, Ἱέρων Β΄; c. 308 BC – 215 BC) was the Greek tyrant of Syracuse 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 of Epirus an ...
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 is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. Situated between Novara di Sicilia, Novara and Francavilla di Sicilia, in the southern Peloritani mountains, it is above sea level. Th ...
town called ''Patrì'' or Fantina.
References
Rivers of Italy Rivers of Sicily Former rivers {{Italy-river-stub