Unité des Communes Évançon Ayas

Regarding the etymology of the term Ayas there is no certain information, but several hypotheses have been put forward.
Some say that the Latin toponym for Ayas is Agatius, which should refer to the name of the first Roman settler.
Others believe that the term comes from the Latin adjective aquatica, in homophony with the toponym of the Ayasse stream in the Champorcher valley.
In the past, the Ayas valley was an important passage area for the Romans who wanted access to the other territories of the Empire.
The Romans conquered the territories of the valley around 25 B.C., putting an end to the garrison of the Salassi who had established the very first settlements in this side valley.
During the period of domination by the monks of St. Maurice, the first roads linking the villages of today's municipality and the first religious structures arose in Ayas.
Continuing along the time line, during the Middle Ages, the valley was of particular interest to the Walser populations of Germanic origin, who left traces especially in the local language.
The patois of the upper Val d'Ayas, in fact, has very distinctive phonetics and vocabulary compared to other Aosta Valley patois.
Around the 1200s, the well-known Challants, a noble family from Valle d'Aosta that at the time exerted a very strong influence over much of the region's territory, also made their presence felt.
The Challants were able to rule the Val d'Ayas for several decades, until the 1700s.
After that, the valley became part of the Duchy of Aosta and came under the control of the Church.
In wartime, during Fascism, German troops came up to Ayas and occupied it.
In 1939, the toponym was Italianized into Aias, before reverting to the original one we still use today.