“Queen Margrethe’s Roman Prize” was first established in 2015 by the Carlsberg Foundation. The prize is awarded to strengthen and honour research conducted at or in relation to the Danish Institute in Rome. Furthermore, the prize seeks to preserve and further develop the cultural ties between Denmark and Italy.

Rubina Raja received the prize for her research and work in connection with the excavations of Caesar’s Forum in Rome, which she directs together with Dr Jan Kindberg Jacobsen (The Danish Institute in Rome) and Dott. Claudio Parisi Presicce (Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali – Direzione Musei archeologici e storico-artistico). The Caesar's Forum Project is funded by the Aarhus University Research Foundation and the Carlsberg Foundation.

“It is an honour to receive this prize from the Carlsberg Foundation. The Caesar’s Forum Project consists of an amazing international team, and the research currently conducted within the project truly highlights the importance of high-definition archaeology in urban contexts. The opportunity to contribute with new evidence in one of the most famous sites in Classical Archaeology is absolutely fantastic”, says Rubina Raja.

In addition to receiving “Queen Margrethe’s Roman Prize”, Rubina Raja gave the gala lecture of the Annual Meeting at The Danish Institute in Rome. Entitled “Giraffes, lovers, tyrants and urban visionaries: The Danish-Italian excavations of Caesar's Forum”, the lecture offered an updated overview of the Excavations of Caesar’s Forum as well as it highlighted the research and high-impact publications within the project.  

Read more about the Caesar’s Forum Project here.

Read more about the prize and Rubina Raja (in Danish) at the Carlsberg Foundation’s website here.