or MESSENE (Messina), an ancient town of Sicily, was, according to all authorities, of Chalcidian origin. Its first inhabitants were Chalcidians, according to Thucydides and Pausanias, from the colony of Cumae in Italy, but, according to Strabo from Naxos in Sicily. The original name of the city was Zanicle or Dancle, from the form of the harbour resembling that of a sickle. The date of its foundation is not known with any precision; but it was probably in the latter part of the eighth century B.C.; and within the first 100 years of its existence, it had attained to such a degree of prosperity as to be able to send off two colonies on the N. coast of Sicily, Mylae, and Himera, the latter of which rose afterwards to considerable importance. When the Ionians in Asia Minor were subdued by the Persians, and were compelled either to live in slavery or to leave their country, they were invited by the Messanians to settle on the coast of Sicily. This invitation was taken advantage of by the Samians, along with some other Greeks from Asia; but they having landed in Italy, were persuaded by Anaxilas, the tyrant of Rhegium, to make an attack on Messana during the absence of Scytles, the king of that city. This they accordingly did, and were successful; but although Scytles was unable to regain his dominion, the Samians were equally powerless to retain it; and were soon after deprived of their sovereignty by Anaxilas, who introduced into the city a large body of settlers from his own city, and changed the name of their new abode from Zanicle to Messana, in memory of his mother-country in Greece. These events must have occurred between 493 and 476 B.C. After continuing for some time under the power of the Kings of Rhegium, the Messanians succeeded in 461 in throwing off the yoke of these monarchs, and establishing a republican form of government, under which they continued for some time to enjoy freedom and prosperity. In 396 B.C., a large Carthaginian army under Himilco landed in Sicily, and advanced along the northern coast to Messana, which they took and levelled to the ground. But in the next year the Carthaginians were defeated and expelled by Dionysius of Syracuse, who then proceeded to rebuild Messana, and to repopulate it with the old inhabitants and with colonists from Italy and Messenia. Soon after 289 B.C., Messana was seized by the Mamertini, or worshippers of Mamers, a band of mercenaries who had been brought from Italy by Agathocles, King of Syracuse, and had been discharged at the death of that monarch. They endeavoured, without success, to change the name of the city to Mamertina. The Mamertines were afterwards attacked by Hieron of Syracuse, and being unable themselves to hold out against his power, were only saved from destruction by the arrival of a Carthaginian force under Hannibal, the son of Gisco. But an alliance with Carthage was distasteful to a party among the Mamertines; who gaining the predominance in the state, applied for aid to the Romans against the Carthaginians. This request was readily acceded to, and thence arose the first Punic war, during the course of which Messana was taken by the Romans, and thus became the earliest dependency of that people out of Italy. The city was first an ally of Rome, and afterwards a municipium; but its subsequent history in ancient times is not remarkable for any great events.