Despite its name, Le Vieil Esclangon may not be the oldest site in the Municipal District of Esclangon, which was merged with La Javie in 1973 due to depopulation. It is possible that its centre was the hamlet of Le Château (le casteu or le castel) situated further north.

Esclangon is mentioned in the Latin form (in Sclangone) as early as 813 in the polyptych, panelled artwork, of Wadalde (a record which summarises the possessions of the Abbey of Saint Victor in Marseille) with three holdings. The community does not reappear in recorded texts until the 13th century.

Situated entirely on the left bank of the Le Bès river at the foot of Le Blayeul mountain, its small and rugged territory has never been able to feed more than a small population: the demographic peak was reached in 1846 with 110 inhabitants (currently, 60 in the village).

It is one of the few villages that does not have a monument to the dead of the First World War; it seems that it only lost one of its few children to The Great War.

Today, Esclangon lives again through geology (Serre's panoramic landscape) and contemporary art (Andy Goldsworthy's Refuge d'Art Project as well as artworks by Herman de Vries, Land-Art installation artworks created under the patronage and direction of the CAIRN Art Centre).