thumb|right|250px|Lithic core for [[Lithic reduction - Upper Paleolithic (Gravitation) (–29,000; –22,000) -Brassempouy, Lands department, France - Museum of Toulouse ]]
In archaeology, a lithic core is a distinctive artifact that results from the practice of lithic reduction. In this sense, a core is the scarred nucleus resulting from the detachment of one or more flakes from a lump of source material or tool stone, usually by using a hard hammer precursor such as a hammerstone. The core is marked with the negative scars of these flakes. The surface area of the core which received the blows necessary for detaching the flakes is referred to as the striking platform. The core may be discarded or shaped further into a core tool, such as can be seen in some types of handaxe.
Definitions
A "core" can be defined in a number of different ways based on the theoretical and methodological approach of the archaeologist. Typological approaches to classify cores are generally based on a combination of the technological attributes and presumed function of an artefact while technological approaches are generally based solely on the technological attributes and an artefacts place in the overall reduction sequence.
Function
thumb|left|upright=0.7|A [[flint lithic core for blades, found near the cave of La Viña (Asturias, Spain)]]
The purpose of core reduction may be to rough out a blank for later refinement into a projectile point, knife, or other stone tool, or it may be performed in order to obtain sharp flakes, from which a variety of simple tools can be made. Generally, the presence of a core is indicative of the latter process, since the former process usually leaves no core. Because the morphology of cores will influence the shape of flakes, by studying the core surface morphology, we might be able to know more information about the dimensional flake attribute, including their length and thickness.
Types of cores
Cores may be subdivided into specific types by a lithic analyst. Type frequencies, as well as the general types of materials at an archaeological site, can give the lithic analyst a better understanding of the lithic reduction processes occurring at that site.
Cores may be described on the basis of the direction of flake removals, the number of faces with negative flake scars or the general morphology of the core.