Her Royal Highness Princess Margrethe's Scholarship for scientific studies at the Danish Institute in Rome.

The Danish Institute in Rome, 16 April 2026

Christian Hjorth Bagger is this year's recipient of Her Royal Highness Princess Margrethe's Scholarship for scientific studies at the Danish Institute in Rome. The purpose of the scholarship is to enable qualified individuals to undertake scientific studies at the Danish Institute in Rome in the fields of classical archaeology, history, classical and Romance languages.

Hjorth Bagger is a final-year PhD student at the University of Melbourne, Australia, where he is working on the project: Matronae, Vestals, and Feminae Principes: Power and Influence from the Age of the Scipios to the Age of Civil War (201-30 BCE).

Hjorth Bagger researches the late Roman Republic with a special focus on women from the socio-political elite in Rome. Christian's project seeks to shed light on women's roles as well as their political activity during a period filled with civil war, internal strife, and intense internal political competition. The project contributes to writing Roman women into the history of one of Rome's most stormy periods where men have hitherto dominated the narrative.

The institute looks forward to being able to offer him a stay when it fits into his busy everyday life in Australia.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Danish Institute in Rome                                                   

Mads Kähler Holst, Chairman of the Board