Caroline Ransom Williams

Caroline Ransom Williams
Bryn Mawr College Yearbook, 1908
Born	Caroline Louise Ransom (1872-02-24)February 24, 1872 Toledo, Ohio
Died	February 1, 1952(1952-02-01) (aged 79)
Nationality	American
Occupation	Egyptologist and classical archaeologist
Spouse(s)	Grant Williams (m. 1916)
Academic background
Alma mater	Lake Erie College Mount Holyoke College University of Chicago University of Berlin
Thesis title	Studies in ancient furniture
Thesis year	1905
Doctoral advisor	James Henry Breasted

Caroline Ransom Williams (February 24, 1872 – February 1, 1952) was an Egyptologist and classical archaeologist. She was the first American woman to be professionally trained as an Egyptologist. She worked extensively with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) in New York and other major institutions with Egyptian collections, and published Studies in ancient furniture (1905), The Tomb of Perneb (1916), and The Decoration of the Tomb of Perneb. The Technique and the Color Conventions (1932), among others.

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.