Ulli Lust, an Austrian illustrator and professor at the University of Hanover, will present her graphic essay When Women Were Men at the 14th edition of the Formula Bula festival in Paris, which runs from September 25 to 27. The book, published by Éditions çà et là, explores prehistoric societies using recent scientific findings and challenges long-held assumptions about gender roles in early human history. It offers a fresh perspective by examining how women might have played more prominent roles than previously believed. Lust’s work has been widely praised for dismantling common misconceptions about the Stone Age, such as the idea that men were primarily hunters and women were gatherers. The German weekly Der Spiegel highlighted that her book won the prestigious Deutscher Sachbuchpreis in 2025 and provides a feminine viewpoint on prehistory. According to Die Tageszeitung (TAZ), the graphic essay blends art history, anthropology, and personal reflections, with illustrations described as “sometimes very funny, sometimes depressing, but always drawn with impressive precision and colored with love.” Lust spent six years researching and creating the book, drawing from museum collections and scientific literature. The Süddeutsche Zeitung noted that traditional archaeology has often been shaped by a patriarchal viewpoint, which has limited the understanding of women’s roles in Paleolithic societies. For example, many male scientists previously assumed that skeletons found with weapons were male, but later DNA analysis has shown that some were actually female. The newspaper also pointed out that barely 10% of prehistoric art depicts men, while women are often shown with “voluptuous breasts and a clearly visible vulva.” The Austrian daily Kurier noted that for 30,000 years, the image of women, not men, was considered the standard representation of the human form. Lust’s work spans a wide range of subjects, from early human relationships with great apes to modern indigenous groups such as the Khoisan, some of whom still live as hunter-gatherers. The Austrian daily Der Standard noted that the book covers an extensive scope, including presumed shamanic cults and the evolution of human societies. Süddeutsche Zeitung observed that Lust challenges the Darwinist view that dominance and competition were central to prehistoric life, suggesting instead that cooperation and egalitarianism were more common. The newspaper noted that there were no “alpha males” protecting women in exchange for sexual relationships, but rather an equal coexistence, with the female body possibly being seen as ideal. At the Formula Bula festival, which is free to attend, Lust will participate in a debate with archaeologist Anne Augereau on Sunday, September 27, at 5 p.m. The event is held at Césure, a third place located on the former Sorbonne-Nouvelle university campus in Paris’s 5th arrondissement. The festival also includes a large exhibition dedicated to Finnish comics and is organized in partnership with Courrier international.