Ducové is known for an archaeological site, called the
Kostolec fortification, where a
Great Moravian fortified settlement has been unearthed. Excavations of older settlements from the
Stone Age,
Bronze Age and the
Roman era indicate that Ducové benefited from its location on the
Amber Road well before the Great Moravian era. The Slavic court was founded in the mid-9th century after the fall of the nearby hill fort in
Pobedim, frequently associated with the unification of principality of Moravia and Nitra. The court was similar to Frankish courts from the 8th-9th centuries and inhabited by representatives of the Slavic elite. It was protected by a massive oak palisade, doubled on one side and built on top of the prehistoric mound. Administrative and representative functions were highlighted by the strategic location near the river ford. Interior space was divided by additional palisades and occupied by residential buildings, outbuildings, a Christian
rotunda church and a graveyard. The round rotunda with an
apse is similar to rotunda found in
Staré Město. The court existed until 940-970 when it burned, most likely during the attack of the old Hungarians. The rotunda and the graveyard had been used by neighbouring villages also after the destruction of the residential buildings, the rotunda until the 11-12 century and the graveyard until the 14th. The site is registered as a National Cultural Landmark. Some parts of the court (such as its
palisades) have been reconstructed by archaeologists. == Population ==