Caroline Louise Ransom was born on February 24, 1872, to John and Ella Randolph Ransom, wealthy Methodists in Toledo, Ohio.
Ransom  attended Lake Erie College and Mount Holyoke College, where she earned a B.A. in 1896, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.

Her aunt Louise Fitz Randolph taught archeology and art history at Mount Holyoke College, and was a strong influence on Caroline Louise.
After  graduating from college, Ransom accompanied her aunt to Europe and Egypt, before teaching for a year at Lake Erie College.

In 1898 she joined the newly formed degree program in Egyptology at the University of Chicago.
It was the first program of its kind in the United States, and Caroline Ransom was the first woman in the program.
She received her Master of Arts in classical archaeology and Egyptology in 1900.
The director of the Oriental Institute in Chicago, James Henry Breasted, became not only a mentor but a lifelong friend and correspondent of Ransom.
Their letters are preserved in the Oriental Institute's archives.

Ransom was encouraged by Breasted to pursue further studies abroad.
She spent time in Athens, attending lectures at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and visiting the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
 She went to Germany, where she studied at the University of Berlin from 1900 to 1903 with Adolf Erman.
  She received an Assistanceship in the Egyptian Department of the Berlin Museum in 1903.

Back in Chicago, she wrote her doctoral dissertation under Breasted's supervision.
In 1905, Ransom received her Ph.D. in Egyptology, becoming the first American woman to receive an advanced degree in the field.
Her thesis was published in 1905 as Studies in ancient furniture: Couches and beds of the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans by the University of Chicago Press.
Ransom was commended for the work's "thoroughness and sane judgment" and for her ability to engage both the classical student and the general reader.
Caroline Louise Ransom was born on February 24, 1872, to John and Ella Randolph Ransom, wealthy Methodists in Toledo, Ohio. Ransom  attended Lake Erie College and Mount Holyoke College, where she earned a B.A. in 1896, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.
Her aunt Louise Fitz Randolph taught archeology and art history at Mount Holyoke College, and was a strong influence on Caroline Louise. After  graduating from college, Ransom accompanied her aunt to Europe and Egypt, before teaching for a year at Lake Erie College.
In 1898 she joined the newly formed degree program in Egyptology at the University of Chicago. It was the first program of its kind in the United States, and Caroline Ransom was the first woman in the program. She received her Master of Arts in classical archaeology and Egyptology in 1900. The director of the Oriental Institute in Chicago, James Henry Breasted, became not only a mentor but a lifelong friend and correspondent of Ransom. Their letters are preserved in the Oriental Institute's archives.
Ransom was encouraged by Breasted to pursue further studies abroad. She spent time in Athens, attending lectures at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and visiting the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.  She went to Germany, where she studied at the University of Berlin from 1900 to 1903 with Adolf Erman.   She received an Assistanceship in the Egyptian Department of the Berlin Museum in 1903.
Back in Chicago, she wrote her doctoral dissertation under Breasted's supervision. In 1905, Ransom received her Ph.D. in Egyptology, becoming the first American woman to receive an advanced degree in the field. Her thesis was published in 1905 as Studies in ancient furniture: Couches and beds of the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans by the University of Chicago Press. Ransom was commended for the work's "thoroughness and sane judgment" and for her ability to engage both the classical student and the general reader.
Caroline Ransom Williams