Bones of the Cranium

Bones of the Cranium

A) Frontal bone

• Underlies the forehead and the superior margin and roof of the orbit and has a smooth median prominence called the glabella.

B) Parietal bone

• Forms part of the superior and lateral surface of the skull.

C) Temporal bone

• Consists of the squamous part , which is external to the lateral surface of the temporal lobe of the brain; the petrous part , which encloses the internal and middle ears; the mastoid part , which contains mastoid air cells; and the tympanic part , which houses the external auditory meatus and the tympanic cavity.

D) Occipital bone

• Consists of squamous, basilar, and two lateral condylar parts.
• Encloses the foramen magnum and forms the cerebral and cerebellar fossae.

E) Sphenoid bone

• Consists of the body (which houses the sphenoid sinus), the greater and lesser wings, and the pterygoid process.

F) Ethmoid bone

• Is located between the orbits and consists of the cribriform plate, perpendicular plate , and two lateral masses enclosing ethmoid air cells.

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