Shea butter, a vegetal fat derived from the nuts of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), is a critical component of the diet for societies in the savanna belt of West Africa. This paper presents the results of an analysis of the longest continuous single site sequence of shea butter production and use yet known, spanning ca. 100–1500 CE, at the well-preserved archaeological site of Kirikongo, located in western Burkina Faso. Drawing on the ethnography of shea butter production, we argue that the high archaeological visibility of shea at Kirikongo results from the use of particular processing methods that created opportunities for carbonization. Through a systematic study of shea testae thickness measurements, we identify the exploitation of different shea tree populations by different households. After exploring several possible causes, including archaeological assemblage formation processes, environmental variability, and human manipulation, we conclude that these differences likely result from the management of shea trees within agricultural fields, as the shea testae recovered from older households with more established fields tend to be thinner and more regular than those from more recently established households. These results indicate that it may be possible to use shea testae from archaeological sites to reconstruct the history of agricultural field systems.

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Morphological analysis of plant remains from archaeological sites provides evidence regarding the domestication process of crop species, and the changing economic behaviors of humans during the foundation and intensification of agriculture. In contexts from the Neolithic and early state periods of Henan, China, morphometry of genus Setaria millet seeds is shown to provide data on production versus consumption contexts of archaeological deposits, in connection with site function and settlement hierarchy. Comparative morphometry of modern Setaria seeds sheds light on larger archaeobotanical issues, including problematizing the distinction between domesticated and wild/weedy seeds. Statistical analysis suggests that subdivision of archaeological millets below the genus level is less useful in some cases than consideration and comparison of genus-level populations.

The archaeological cultures of the Korean peninsula provide numerous case studies of the formation, structure, and function of ancient complex societies and states. In southwestern Korea, the Mahan (ca. 50 B.C.E.-C.E. 475) occupied a large region marked by similarities in material culture, but decentralized politically. The Paekche kingdom (ca. C.E. 250-660) had its origins as a Mahan polity in the Han River valley, later centralizing its authority and expanding its territory. This article discusses two sites: the Paekche capital of P'ungnap T'osŏng in modern Seoul and a large Mahan town recently excavated in Chŏlla Province known as Kwangju Palsan. The political economy and social structure of each site is investigated using ceramic remains, artifacts that played a large role in daily life across classes and in the elaboration of elite culture. With highresolution chemical data from Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) on potsherds, specific production signatures can be identified for each site. This allows comparison of the proportion of locally produced and imported pottery at each site and even reveals when P'ungnap T'osŏng and Kwangju Palsan exchanged ceramic goods. These patterns reveal similarities and differences in Mahan and Paekche political economies, ultimately illuminating the Mahan roots of Paekche social organization.

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