Asse was probably inhabited by the Celtic tribe of the Nervii. The name itself probably comes from a pre-Celtic word meaning "water". It was probably inhabited from an early date; stone tools have been found in various locations. The fertility of the soil and the relief which rises above the wetter plains of present-day Flanders would also suggest that his would have been an early area of settlement. From the middle of the first century, a Roman military road connected it to the capital of the Roman province of Nervii in Bavay. It continued northwards as far as the naval port at present-day Rumst, with various side roads to the East and West. It is possible that there was a Roman military camp to the south west of the present town centre in what is now known as "borgstad", though its role has not been clearly proven. What is sure is that Asse grew to be a substantial settlement or vicus at an, at least locally, important road junction. Though no Roman buildings are extant there have been frequent archaeological finds including in 2007 a pottery and in 2008 a section of a Roman road. It is possible that there was local cult of Epona as a large number of clayhorse figurines, presumably votive offerings, have been found. It is presumed that the Germanic language, which evolved into present-day Dutch, was introduced during the Frankish invasions in the late fourth and fifth centuries. Place-name study would at least suggest that but there are no extant written sources. During the Carolingian period Asse was part of the region of Brabant. During the period of the Viking invasions it would seem that there was a relatively important fortified site in Asse. From 1085 or 1086 Asse was part of the Duchy of Brabant under the Dukes of Leuven. The local vassal of the Duke was known as the "Heer van Asse" who was the Duke's hereditary standard bearer. Asse was situated on the cross roads of both north–south as well as east–west trade routes, having a fertile, easily cultivated and well-drained soil. It therefore grew to be a regionally important centre and a relatively important military-strategic one. Asse has often been the subject of military campaigns and has been recorded as having been burnt down several times.
Ancien Regime
The St Martins church gained some local fame as a centre of pilgrimage connected to the miraculous blossoming of a tree in which a Host had been hidden and the equally miraculous appearance of a cross – the Miracles of the Holy Cross. During this period much of the power was inherited by the descendants of John II of Cottereau, Lord of Assche, he placed some important coloured windows in the church and was buried there. His descendants today still are family of the current Marquess of Assche. In continuation of its role as seat of an important judicial court under the Ancien Régime, Asse was made capital of a canton during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Period. Lacking any mineral resources, and being far from any navigable watercourses and being in close proximity to other larger centres such as Aalst, Dendermonde and Brussels, Asse never developed into an important commercial, political or industrial centre but remained a locally important market town. There was some brewing and marketing of the local hop production. It is now a commuting town for Brussels with a number of light industrial and commercial activities.
Hopduvel Festival
The Hopduvel represents the storm that often hit Asse-Ternat at the end of the month of August. The hop vine crop, which was almost ready for harvest, could be severely damaged if the hop vines were knocked to the ground. It is thought that the ' hopduvel ' was invented by the hop farmers to personify this danger and was institutionalised by the founder of the "Hopduvelfeesten", Eugeen Van den Broeck. Every year the Hopduvelfeesten is organised after the hop harvest in order to have a good harvest in the following years. This is symbolically done by burning the effigies of hopduvels that have been assembled by the local farmers and for which a contest is organised to elect the best Hopduvel. This tradition is still continued even though there has been very little hop production in the area since the 1970s
