Human settlement dates from the
Bronze Age and
Iron Age. The region was later occupied by
Gaulish tribes, who were conquered by the
Roman Empire during the first century. Under Rome the valley was incorporated into the province of
Helvetia and became known as
Annivesium. The present inhabitants of Anniviers are claimed to be descendants of
Huns or a related people, who migrated to Europe from
Central Asia, during or after the
fall of the Western Roman Empire. An extinct and unrecorded language formerly spoken in the area is reported to have had similarities to
Hungarian. The inhabitants of Val d'Anniviers generally became Christian much later than their neighbours; the Swiss travel writer
Marc-Théodore Bourrit, in
Description des Alpes Pennines et Rhetiennes (1781) writes of how the
Bishopric of Sion struggled to convert the people of the valley, who long adhered to a pagan religion. A century later, the Hungarian cleric and historian
Mihály Horváth says of the inhabitants: "They say they are the descendants of the old Huns. The majority of them have light-blue eyes or grayish green eyes, blonde or brown hair, with large and bony forehead and a slight
yoke-bone. They have a
common nose, broad chin, prominent shoulders and neck, and they are in general low-statured." Other cultural features including folk art, cuisine and burial rituals are also said to support this link. There are two main theories regarding the inhabitants' connection to the Huns: • the inhabitants are descended from followers of
Attila who settled in the valley after being defeated in the
Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (451 CE) and/or; • they are descended from
Magyars (Hungarians) who
invaded western Europe during the 10th century. The valley was known as Annivesium until 1052. The Bishop of Sion owned the valley between 1116 and 1138 and donated it to the chapter. In the year 1193, the area became a demesne of the Anniviers family, then by Raron (1381). The property was returned to the bishopric in 1798. Ayer was first mentioned in 1296, and Chandolin about 1250 as
Eschandulyns. Grimentz was first mentioned in 1052 as
Grimiens; the village was formerly known by its German name
Grimensi. Saint-Jean was first mentioned in 1250 as
de Sancto Johanne. Saint-Luc was first mentioned in 1267 as
Lus and in 1304 as
Luc; the name Saint-Luc first appeared around 1850, and was nout the official name until 1904. While the valley's first cart path was cleared in about 1300, a wagon road was not built until 1854 for the transport of nickel and cobalt ores. The paved road dates from 1955; it was constructed to allow transportation of materials needed to build the
Dam Moiry. The number of parishes increased from two in 1805 to five in 1932. By 1905 there were six municipalities: Ayer, Chandolin, Saint-Luc, Saint-Jean, Grimentz and Vissoie. ==Geography==