Since Gallic times a village perched on a nearby hill, the Puy-du-Tour, has controlled the ford on a protohistoric way connecting Armorica to the Mediterranean.

Under the Carolingians, Argentat was the seat of a vicariate - a territorial division under the authority of a count with a priest administering justice.

Guarding his rights the Viscounty did not grant any charter of liberties and the local community had to be content until, in 1615, parish trustees were appointed to manage it.

However, from 1263, the Turennes conceded an important market on the Saint Andrew's day to the town which is the oldest fair in Lower Limousin.

The town experienced significant economic growth in the 18th and 19th centuries from Inland navigation by scows, which were known locally as courpet, that allowed the delivery of goods (mainly oak staves for cooperage and carassonne-stakes for grapevines) to the Bordeaux region.

This activity began to decline at the end of the 19th century following the outbreak of phylloxera, which devastated the vineyards, and the inauguration of the PO Corrèze railway between Tulle and Argentat in 1904 (this line remained in operation until 1970).

List of Successive Mayors[4] Argentat has twinning associations with:[5] The inhabitants of the commune are known as Argentacois or Argentacoises in French.