The area dates back to
Paleolithic times, when tribes left some traces in
painted caves in the Ker valleys of Massat. The village later became a territory used by the Lords of
Lomagne to disperse the population to, overcoming a serious problem of overpopulation. Several
charters dating from 1146 specify the reciprocal rights of the inhabitants and the lords. The valley was directed towards an industrial activity lasting almost seven centuries. This included the manufacture of
charcoal and cast iron of
iron ores in five forging mills operated by Catalan women. From 1820, with the discovery of the means of melting
iron with
coal, the industrial prosperity of the valley disappeared. Later in the 19th century,
agricultural, primarily
pastoral farming became the main source for the Massat economy, particularly the production of butter. With a very strong rural migration, amplified by
World War I, the commune depopulated quickly, falling dramatically from 9,322 inhabitants in 1831 to 589 in 1999. ==Population==