BONES OF THE

CRANIAL VAULT
Juan José Segovia.
Alejandro Martínez
Regina Ornelas.
Cristian Rocha.
The cranial bones of the skull are also referred to as the neurocranium.
The neurocranium is a group of eight bones that form a cover for the
brain and brainstem. The 8 cranial bones are the frontal, parietal,
temporal, occipital, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones. Some of these are
paired bones.
Frontal Bone
is composed of the frontal bone. This bone
forms the ridges of the brows and the area just
above the bridge of the nose called the glabella.
The frontal bone extends back over the curved
line of the forehead and ends approximately
one-third of the way along the top of the skull.
Parietal Bones
The two parietal bones continue the
shape of the cranial vault; these are
quadrilateral, smooth, and curved bony
plates. They articulate with the frontal,
sphenoid, temporal, and occipital bones,
as well as with each other at the top of
the head
 Temporal Bone
The temporal bones are a pair of bilateral,
symmetrical bones that constitute a large
portion of the lateral wall and base of the skull .
They are highly irregular bones with extensive
muscular attachments and articulations with
surrounding bones.
 The lower portion of the bone articulates with the mandible, forming the
temporomandibular joint of the jaw.
The temporal bone is composed of several parts, these being the squamous
part, the petrous part, the tympanic part, and the styloid process.
 Sphenoid Bone
The sphenoid bone is one of the eight
bones that make up the cranium – the
superior aspect of the skull that
encloses and protects the brain.
Its name is derived from the Greek
‘sphenoeides’, to mean wedge-shaped.
The sphenoid bone is said to be ‘butterfly-shaped‘. It consists of a body,
paired greater wings and lesser wings, and two pterygoid processes.
Ethmoid Bone
The ethmoid bone is a small
unpaired bone, located in
the midline of the anterior
cranium – the superior
aspect of the skull that
encloses and protects the
brain.
 Occipital Bone
The occipital bone is an unpaired bone which covers
the back of the head (occiput). It makes up a large
portion of the basilar part of the neurocranium and
entirely houses the cerebellum.
It is the only cranial bone to articulate with the
cervical spine. Besides this joint, it articulates with
many other bones of the skull.