The human skull performs the function of preserving the main organ of the human body - the brain, which is the central nervous system the whole organism. The structure of the cranium is evolutionarily required to be strong, but flexible, in terms of transferring data from the body to the brain.
Its bones have many interlacings and labyrinths that hold the organs of communication with environment and sufficient strength to provide maximum protection from external mechanical influences. The photo with the description in the article shows large and small parts of the skull and their relationship to each other.
The structure of the cranium consists of two main zones: the facial bones and the brain region. In the facial bones are the organs that connect a person with the world: vision, smell, breathing, hearing, speech. The design of the skull includes 23 bones, 8 of them have a pair on both sides of the head, 7 do not.
7 bones from total number, related to the sense organs, provide the strength of the skull without additional weight due to the non-standard shape and are considered airy.
Photo of the structure of the human skull with a description of the bones
| Classification | air bones | solid bones |
| Paired bones | upper jaw |
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| unpaired bones |
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Occipital bone
The structure of the human skull (a photo with a description will help you navigate the anatomical arrangement of the bones) includes one of the largest bones - the occipital. It is a flat, rounded regular bone with a wide opening for spinal column. Outside it is convex, inside it is concave.
This is an unpaired bone and includes 4 sections surrounding this hole:
The basilar part has 4 corners and passes into the wedge-shaped section in front, being attached to the bone with the help of a cartilaginous outgrowth. And the lateral parts merge with the temporal, also connecting cartilage tissue. They are located along the spinal column on the reverse side, flowing in front into the basilar part, behind - into the occipital scales. As it moves from the edge of the back of the head to the center of the skull, it becomes thinner.
Sphenoid bone
The sphenoid bone is hidden inside the head and has a square shape. On the sides of it, bone processes grow. Behind, it passes into the occipital, thanks to the cartilaginous tissue, which ossifies over time, turns into a single bone. In front of the central part of the sphenoid bone there is a small notch designed for the location of the pituitary gland.
In front of the opening for the pituitary gland, on each of its sides, there are two more tiny openings for passing nerves and the ophthalmic artery. On the reverse side, the sphenoid bone looks at the nasal region, which is the hidden nasal wall.
On either side of the center are holes connecting the nose to central system. From the same side sphenoid bone, both sides of the processes are the posterior walls of the orbits. These processes have a certain number of holes, which serve as passages for the nerves and vessels of the central nervous system. From below, the processes are attached to the sky.
frontal bone
The second largest cranial zone is round in shape, begins at the crown of the head and ends in the middle of the orbits, capturing part of the set of bones that form the nose. This is a solid bone on both sides, having superciliary arches, glabella and frontal tubercles on the outside. The frontal bone includes supratemporal arches, and a gap that captures the temporal lobe. 
WITH inside the bone is strewn with grooves from adjacent veins, its central part is dissected by a depression from the sagittal sinus. In the area of the glabella there are openings that open access to the frontal sinus, between them is the nasal bone. frontal lobe is continuous, unpaired, passing into the parietal, through the coronal suture. On the sides, it merges with the sphenoid and zygomatic bones.
Ethmoid bone
The structure of the human skull (the photo with the description shows parts of the ethmoid bone) includes another bone located inside the cranial set of bones. This small bone belongs to the nasal family.
It includes in its design the top with a growth, called the "cockscomb", having "cock's wings" on the sides and the bottom, which is part of the formation of the nose. WITH different parties from the "cockscomb", along them, there are numerous openings for the nerves passing into the brain.
On the sides of the "cock's wings" are flat areas that form parts of the eye sockets. In these pieces, there are also 1 through passage for vessels. The bottom of the ethmoid bone is filled with many channels, visually resembling a labyrinth.
Coulter
Another bone unpaired plate of the facial set of bones, forming the nasal septum, paired with the ethmoid bone. It looks like a trapezoid flat elongated bone, which bifurcates into two petals towards the top, merging in this area with sphenoid bone. The lower region is connected by the maxillary process and the palate. 
The coulter consists of 4 main sides:
- palatine;
- lattice;
- left;
- free.
Temporal bone
The human skull includes in its structure a paired bone, called the temporal bone (as indicated in the photo with a description). On the sides of the skull, the zygomatic process sticks out of the temporal bones, which is a landmark when examining one of the pieces of the temporal bone.
Inside the structure, a process called the "pyramid" protrudes. This shape is visually similar to a sea shell. Its surface includes two through passages for stony nerves.
At the top of the "pyramid" is the cavity of the auditory canal, which opens into the carotid in the lower bony part, located at the foot of the zygomatic process. It cuts through the bone facial nerve also emerging in the lower part of the temporal structure.
From the outer part, under the process, there is a tympanic part related to the ear zone and a dimple for fastening mandible. At the bottom of the temporal part are grooves for the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve. There is also a wide exit for carotid artery. The bone is located on the periphery of three Bones - parietal, sphenoid and occipital.
Parietal bone
This part has its own pair and is located in the cranial vault area. A sagittal suture passes through both its parts. WITH occipital part it is connected with a lambdoid suture, with the frontal suture - with a coronal suture. The temporal bones run from the sides of the parietal bone. The structure of the parietal bone is continuous, convex on the outside, and concave on the inside. 
It includes 4 sides:
- sagittal;
- occipital;
- scaly;
- frontal.
Inside, it is showered with grooves from the cerebral convolutions and blood vessels. From the sagittal part, in the center, there is a parietal opening. On the outside there are two temporal bands.
Inferior turbinate
The structure of the human skull in the photo with a description can be seen in great detail. It includes a small bone involved in the formation of the nasal processes.
Its shape is oblong, located in an oblique form inside the skull. With its top, it touches the back of the jaw and palate (its vertical part), and at the bottom - upper palate(straight part). The other upper edge is part of the lacrimal bone. Under the bone is the lower nasal passage.
lacrimal bone
A pair of bones located in the skull, behind the nose.
It has a cuboid shape, connecting with neighboring bone sections from all 6 sides:
The lacrimal bone is a small part of the eye and sinus. The posterior flattened part of the bone has a comb, the anterior thinned part has a groove from the lacrimal canal. From the side of the orbit there is a hole for the lacrimal sac. It passes into the main nasolacrimal canal.
nasal bone
The structure of the human skull (in the photo with a description you can see a more detailed structure) includes a combination of large and small bones performing one function, in this case, respiratory. The nasal bone is a miniature plate that complements the bony formation of the nose, along with the lacrimal.
It grows from the frontal and passes into the upper jaw. The bone has its own pair and is shaped like a bent rectangular plate. Its parts converge in the middle thanks to the internasal seam. The upper tip is slightly upturned at the transition to the frontal zone.
On the surface of the nasal bone on the reverse side there is a depression from the ethmoid nerve. The lower part is connected to the upper jaw by cartilage that forms the nose of a living person.
upper jaw
Paired facial bone on the nose. Its seam begins between the two front teeth and ends at the bridge of the nose. A solid formation is related to airborne. Thanks to the sinuses in it, it takes part in breathing. The lower part includes the upper row of teeth and the palate. 
The composition has 4 surfaces:
- front;
- infratemporal
- nosal;
- orbital.
Under the eye sockets, on both sides of the maxillary process, there are through passages pierced trigeminal nerves. Education is included in the formation of the eye sockets, occupying most of it.
It also occupies a significant area hard palate, where it passes into the sphenoid bone. Between the sphenoid and maxillary bones, in the eye sockets, there are eye clefts. In the infraorbital zone, the jaw under the bevel passes into the zygomatic formation, in the region of the bridge of the nose - into the frontal.
palatine bone
A paired bone included in the set of facial bones. It is composed of thin, brittle walls, forming the main section of the palate that joins at the maxilla. Its rear part is included in the composition of the nasal wall.
The bone is formed in the form of a plate with two edges, one of which runs perpendicular to the other at a right angle. Its perpendicular part is adjacent to the sphenoid bone, the horizontal part is part of the inner palate.
Cheekbone
A pair of small bones involved in the formation of the orbit, taking on the function of supporting the eye and distributing pressure while chewing food. The zygomatic bone is the greater part of the cheek, due to the arcuate external protrusion. 
Its upper process passes into the forehead, lateral and lower into the upper jaw. Posteriorly, it meets the zygomatic process of the temporal formation.
A through passage is located above the zygomatic tubercle, through which the zygomatic nerve extends.
Bone has 3 surfaces:
- lateral;
- temporal;
- orbital.
Lower jaw
An unpaired, irregular bone structure, including the chin and the alveolar part - the lower row of teeth. The heads of the lower jaw are attached to the temporal bone. Its shape has 3 parts: body and 2 branches. The frontal area has two through passages on the sides, under the fangs, for the passage of the tendons responsible for the work of the lower jaw.
The branch, at its apex, flows into two other elevations - the condylar tip and the coronal tip, connected by an arcuate notch, concave inside the branch. On the reverse side, the jaw has grooves from the jaw-hyoid joints and a passage leading inside the jaw.
Hyoid bone
A small solid bone located under the tongue, leading to the system of the speech apparatus and the work of the lower jaw. This is an independent part that does not grow together with the rest of the bones, attached to the tissues due to the joints and muscles. It is located under the lower jaw at the beginning of the laryngeal column, its front part is located on the same axis as the end of the molars. 
Its shape resembles a horseshoe. The structure of the bone consists of the main plate, which has long and small horns on the right and left. The main part is connected with the upper horns by cartilaginous tissue, the small ones grow from the body of the bone itself. Large horns are attached to the laryngeal cartilage.
The movements of the hyoid bone are due to the work of the tongue muscles, which cause it to change position at the time of speech and chewing food.
The system of development of the skull, as we know it at this stage of evolution, has given man the opportunity to carry important elements, involved in communication, data storage, analysis and other processes that fit in just one part of the body - the head.
The human skull has a unique structure, in contrast to the structure of the skull of other mammals - only in a rational being the brain section is higher than the facial one.
The Institute of Human Anatomy devoted a whole section to the study of the structure of the skull, which was called craniology, which is widely used in anthropology. The photo with the description shows the evolution of the human skull to the present.
Article formatting: Mila Fridan
Video about the anatomy of the human skull
Anatomy of the bones of the skull:
The human skull is a significant component of the musculoskeletal system. The totality of the bones of the head is a frame that determines its shape and serves as a container for the brain and sensory organs. In addition, some elements of the respiratory and digestive systems. Numerous muscles are attached to its bones, including facial and chewing muscles. It is customary to distinguish between the following sections of the facial and brain, but this division is as arbitrary as the division into a vault and a base. Most cranial bones are characterized by a complex irregular shape. They are connected to each other with seams. various types. The only movable joint in the skeleton of the head is the temporomandibular joint, which is involved in the process of chewing and speech.
Anatomy of the human skull: brain section
This section has a spherical shape and contains the brain. The cranial box is formed by unpaired (occipital, sphenoid and frontal) and paired (temporal and its volume is about 1500 cm³. The brain is located above the facial. The upper cranial bones are smooth (outside) and flat. They are relatively thin, but strong plates, in which the bone marrow is located.The human skull, the photo of which is presented below, is a complex and perfect structure, each element of which has its own function.
Facial department
As for the facial region, it includes paired maxillary and unpaired mandibular, palatine, ethmoid, hyoid and lacrimal bones, vomer, nasal bone and inferior nasal concha. The teeth are also part of the facial skull. Feature unpaired bones of the department - the presence of air cavities in them, which serve for thermal insulation of the organs inside. These bones form the walls of the oral and nasal cavities, as well as the eye sockets. Their structure and individual characteristics achieve a variety of facial features.
Growth Features
The anatomy of the human skull has long been studied, but is still surprising. In the process of growing up, and then aging, the shape of the head seclet changes. It is known that in infants the ratio between the facial and brain regions is not at all the same as in adults: the second one significantly predominates. The skull of the newborn is smooth, the connecting sutures are elastic. Moreover, between the bones of the arch there are areas of connective tissue, or fontanelles. They make it possible to shift parts of the skull during childbirth without damaging the brain. By the second year of life, the fontanelles "close"; the head begins to increase sharply in size. By about the age of seven, the back and front parts are formed, the milk teeth are replaced by the molars. Until the age of 13, the vault and base of the skull grow evenly and slowly. Then comes the turn of the frontal and facial sections. After the age of 13, gender differences begin to appear. In boys, the skull becomes more elongated and embossed, in girls it remains rounded and smooth. By the way, in women, the volume of the brain section is smaller than in men (since their skeleton, in principle, is inferior to the male in size).
A little more about age features
The growth and development of the facial section lasts the longest, but after 20-25 years it also slows down. When a person reaches the age of 30, the seams begin to overgrow. In the elderly, there is a decrease in the elasticity and strength of bones (including the head), deformation of the facial region occurs (primarily due to loss of teeth and deterioration of chewing functions). The skull of the person whose photo can be seen below belongs to the old man, and this is immediately clear.
Vault and base
The medulla of the skull consists of two unequal parts. The border between them passes just below the line running from the infraorbital margin to the zygomatic process. It coincides with the sphenoid-zygomatic suture, then passes from above from the external auditory opening and reaches the occipital protuberance. Visually, the vault and base of the skull do not have a clear boundary, so this division is arbitrary.
Anything above this uneven boundary line is called a vault or roof. The arch is formed by the parietal and as well as the scales of the occipital and temporal bones. All components of the vault are flat.
The basis is this Bottom part skulls. There is a large hole in its center. Through it, the cranial cavity is connected to spinal canal. There are also numerous outlets for nerves and blood vessels.
What bones form the base of the skull
The lateral surfaces of the base are formed in pairs (more precisely, their scales). Behind them comes the occipital bone, which has a hemispherical shape. It consists of several flat parts, which at the age of 3-6 years are completely fused into one. There is a large hole between them. Strictly speaking, the base of the skull includes only the basilar part and the anterior squama. occipital bone.
Another important component of the base is the sphenoid bone. It connects with the zygomatic bones, vomer and lacrimal bone, and in addition to them - with the already mentioned occipital and temporal.
The sphenoid bone consists of large and small processes, wings and the body itself. It is symmetrical and resembles a butterfly or beetle with spread wings. Its surface is uneven, bumpy, with numerous bulges, bends and holes. With the scales of the occipital bone, the sphenoid is connected by synchrondosis.
Foundation from the inside
The surface of the inner base is uneven, concave, divided by peculiar elevations. She repeats the relief of the brain. The internal base of the skull includes three fossae: posterior, middle, and anterior. The first of them is the deepest and most spacious. It is formed by parts of the occipital, sphenoid, parietal bones, as well as the back surface of the pyramid. In the posterior cranial fossa there is a round opening, from which the internal occipital crest extends to the occipital protrusion.
The bottom of the middle fossa is the sphenoid bone, the scaly surfaces of the temporal bones, and the anterior surfaces of the pyramid. In the middle is the so-called in which the pituitary gland is located. Sleepy furrows approach the base of the Turkish saddle. Lateral departments the middle fossa is the deepest; there are several openings intended for nerves (including optic nerves) in them.
As for the anterior part of the base, it is formed by the small wings of the sphenoid bone, the orbital part of the frontal bone and the ethmoid bone. The protruding (central) part of the fossa is called the cockscomb.
Outside surface
What does the base of the skull look like from the outside? Firstly, its anterior section (in which the bony palate is distinguished, limited by the teeth and alveolar maxillary processes) is hidden by the bones of the face. Secondly, back department the base is formed by the temporal, occipital and sphenoid bones. It contains a variety of openings designed for the passage of blood vessels and nerves. The central part of the base is occupied by a large occipital foramen, on the sides of which the condyles of the same name protrude. They are connected to cervical region spinal column. On the outer surface the bases also contain the styloid and mastoid processes, the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone, and numerous foramina (jugular, stylomastoid) and canals.
Injuries
The base of the skull is fortunately not as vulnerable as the vault. Damage to this part is relatively rare, but has severe consequences. In most cases, they are caused by falls from high altitude followed by landing on the head or legs, accidents and blows to and base of the nose. Most often, as a result of such impacts, the temporal bone is damaged. Fractures of the base are accompanied by liquorrhea (expiration cerebrospinal fluid from the ears or from the nose), bleeding.
If the anterior cranial fossa is damaged, bruises form in the eye area, if the middle one - bruises in the area mastoid process. In addition to liquorrhea and bleeding, fractures of the base can cause hearing loss, loss of taste, paralysis, and nerve damage.
Trauma to the base of the skull leads to best case to a curvature of the spine, at worst - to complete paralysis (since as a result of them, the connection between the central nervous system and the brain is disrupted). People who have suffered fractures of this kind often suffer from meningitis.
The view of the lateral, or side, side of the skull clearly demonstrates the complexity of its structure: many individual bones and joints between them.Some bones of the skull are paired. They are located on both sides of the midline of the head. The nasal, zygomatic, parietal and temporal bones all correspond to this symmetry. Other bones, such as the sphenoid bone and the ethmoid bone, are singularly located in the midline. A number of bones develop as two separate halves, which then fuse along the midline. These include the frontal bone and the lower jaw.
The bones of the skull are constantly undergoing a process of remodeling: new bone develops on the outer surface of the skull, while inner part reabsorbed into circulatory system. This dynamic process is supported by the presence of numerous cells and a good blood supply.
Sometimes a lack of cells responsible for reabsorption impairs bone metabolism, which can lead to severe thickening of the skull bones (ostosis deformans, ooze, and Paget's disease) and, as a result, deafness and blindness.
Joints of the bones of the skull
- 1. Lambdoid seam
- 2. Occipital-mastoid suture
- 3. Parietal mastoid suture
- 4. Scale seam
- 5. Wedge-shaped scaly seam
- 6. Wedge-frontal suture
- 7. Fronto-zygomatic suture
- 8. Crown stitch
- 9. Temporomandibular joint
All other bones are connected to each other by sutures, which are found only in the skull. In adults, they are thin zones of non-mineralized fibrous tissue that connect the edges of adjacent bones. The purpose of the sutures in the skull of a developing infant is to allow the skull to grow at correct angles to a normal position. For example, the coronal suture allows you to grow in length, and the scaly suture allows you to grow the skull in height.
During rapid growth brain part of the skull, from birth to the age of seven, the enlargement of the brain causes the bones to separate at the sutures. New bone then forms at the edge of the sutures, stabilizing the skull in its new size. By the age of seven, this type of skull growth slows down. Further enlargement of the skull occurs with slow speed through remodeling.
Inside the skull
The inner part of the left half of the skull is represented by the cranial vault and the facial skeleton in section.Comparing this photograph with that of the outside of the skull, many of the same bones can be seen, as well as a few new structures.
The bony part of the nasal septum (the wall separating the nasal cavity) consists of the vomer and the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone.
In this skull, the air sinuses of the sphenoid bone are large. The pituitary fossa, in which the hormone-producing pituitary gland is placed the size of a peanut, protrudes into the cavity of the sphenoid sinus. The circle outlining the pterion corresponds to the same location marked in the photo of the outside of the skull.
The skull protects the brain from potentially life-threatening damage. If the lateral part of the skull in the region of the temporal bone is destroyed, the branches of the middle meningeal artery may be damaged. This artery supplies the bones of the skull and the outer meninges. If it is damaged, the flowing blood can cause compression of the vital centers of the brain. If you do not help by draining through small holes, death can quickly occur. The artery is accessible to the surgeon if a trepanation is done near the pterion.
Types of skull bones
Bone is a hard, dense, mineralized connective tissue made up of three components:- an organic matrix (about 25 percent by weight), mainly including collagen fiber protein;
- mineral crystals of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate (65 percent by weight), known as hydroxyapatites;
- water, approximately 10 percent by weight.
The bones of the brain part of the skull - the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal - belong to flat bones, consisting of two thin dense bone plates, between which porous bone substance is enclosed. They are called flat or spongy bones. They contain bone marrow. Blood cells are produced bone marrow, while the bone itself is a source of calcium ions necessary for normal operation muscles and nerves.
Flat bones are a feature of the skull. They create a large and, at the same time, light and durable bone skeleton to protect and nourish the brain and sense organs.
The decisive role in the formation and subsequent development of the skull belongs to the brain, teeth, chewing muscles and sense organs. In the process of growth, the head undergoes significant changes. In the course of development appear age, gender and individual characteristics skulls. Let's consider some of them.
newborns
The skull of a baby has a specific structure. The spaces between the bone elements are filled with connective tissue. Newborns are completely absent skull sutures. Anatomy this part of the body is of particular interest. There are 6 fontanels at the junction of several bones. They are covered with connective tissue plates. There are two unpaired (posterior and anterior) and two paired (mastoid, wedge-shaped) fontanels. The largest is considered the frontal. It has a diamond shape. It is located at the point of convergence of the left and right frontal and both parietal bones. Due to the fontanelles it is very elastic. When the fetal head passes through birth canal, the edges of the roof overlap each other in a tiled manner. Due to this, it decreases. By two years, as a rule, formed skull sutures. Anatomy previously studied in a rather original way. Physicians of the Middle Ages applied hot iron to the area of the fontanelles in case of diseases of the eyes and brain. After the formation of a scar, doctors caused suppuration with various irritants. So they believed that they opened the way for accumulating harmful substances. In the configuration of the seams, doctors tried to make out symbols, letters. Doctors believed that they contained information about the fate of the patient.
Features of the structure of the skull
This part of the body in a newborn is distinguished by the small size of the facial bones. Another specific feature is the fontanelles mentioned above. In the skull of a newborn, traces of all 3 incomplete stages of ossification are noted. Fontanelles are the remnants of the membranous period. Their presence is of practical importance. They allow the bones of the roof to move. The anterior fontanel is located along the midline at the junction of 4 sutures: 2 halves of the coronal, frontal and sagittal. It grows in the second year of life. The posterior fontanel is triangular in shape. It is located between the two in front and the scales of the occiput bone behind. It grows in the second month. In the lateral fontanelles, wedge-shaped and mastoid are distinguished. The first is located at the site of convergence of the parietal, frontal, temporal scales and the large wing of the sphenoid bones. Overgrows in the second or third month. The mastoid fontanel is located between the parietal bone, the base of the pyramid in the temporal and occipital scales.
cartilaginous stage
At this stage, the following age features of the skull are noted. Cartilaginous layers are found between separate, non-fused elements of the bones of the base. The airways are not yet developed. Due to the weakness of the musculature, various muscle ridges, tubercles and lines are weakly expressed. For the same reason, which is also associated with the lack of chewing function, the jaws are underdeveloped. Hardly ever. The lower jaw in this case consists of 2 non-united halves. Because of this, the face comes forward a little relative to the skull. It is only 1/8 part. At the same time, in an adult, the ratio of the face to the skull is 1/4.
Displacement of bones
Skulls after birth are manifested in the active expansion of the cavities - the nasal, cerebral, oral and nasopharyngeal. This leads to a displacement of the bones surrounding them in the direction of the growth vectors. The movement is accompanied by an increase in length and thickness. With marginal and superficial growth, the curvature of the bones begins to change.
postnatal period
At this stage, they are manifested in the uneven growth of the facial and brain sections. The linear dimensions of the latter increase by 0.5, and the former by 3 times. The volume of the brain section doubles in the first six months, and triples by the age of 2. From the age of 7, growth slows down, in puberty speeds up again. By the age of 16-18, the development of the arch stops. The base increases in length up to 18-20 years and ends when the wedge-occipital synchondrosis closes. The growth of the facial section is longer and more uniform. The bones around the mouth grow most actively. Age features skulls in the process of growth, they are manifested in the fusion of parts of the bones separated in newborns, differentiation in structure, pneumatization. The relief of the inner and outer surfaces becomes more defined. V early age smooth edges are formed on the seams, by the age of 20 jagged joints are formed.
Final steps
By the age of forty, obliteration of the sutures begins. It covers all or most connections. In declining and old age marked osteoporosis of the cranial bones. The thinning of the plates of compact substance begins. In some cases, thickening of the bones is observed. Atrophy in the jaws becomes more pronounced in the facial region due to loss of teeth. This causes an increase in the angle of the lower jaw. As a result, the chin comes forward.
Gender Features
There are several criteria by which the male skull differs from the female. These features include the degree of severity of roughness and tuberosity in the areas of muscle attachment, development and external occipital protuberance, prominence of the upper jaw, etc. The male skull is more developed than the female. Its outlines are more angular due to the severity of roughness and tuberosity in the areas of attachment of the masticatory, temporal, occipital and neck muscles. The frontal and parietal tubercles are more developed in women, in men - the glabella and superciliary arches. the latter have a heavier and larger lower jaw. In the region of the lower edge and corners of the inner part of the chin, tuberosity is clearly expressed. This is due to the attachment of the digastric, chewing and pterygoid muscles. Depending on gender, the shape of the human skull also differs. In men, a sloping forehead is noted, which passes into a rounded crown. Often there is a hill in the direction of the swept seam. The forehead of women is more vertical. It goes into a flat crown. Men have lower eye sockets. As a rule, they have rectangular shape. Their upper edge is thickened. In women, the eye sockets are located higher. They are close to oval or round shape with upper sharper and thinner edges. On the female skull, the alveolar process often protrudes forward. The nasolabial angle in men is distinct in most cases. On the female skull, the frontal bone passes more smoothly to the nasal.
Additionally
The shape of the human skull does not affect mental capacity. According to the results of numerous studies by anthropologists, it can be concluded that there is no reason to believe that the size of the brain region predominates in any race. Bushmen, Pygmies, and some other tribes have slightly smaller heads than other people. This is due to their small size. Often a reduction in the size of the head can be the result of malnutrition over the centuries and the influence of other adverse factors.
The skeleton of the head is represented by bones, which, tightly connected with sutures, protect the brain and sensory organs from mechanical influences. It gives support to the face, the initial sections of the respiratory and digestive systems.
Scull(cranium) is divided into two departments - cerebral and facial. Bones cerebral skull form a cavity for the brain and partly a cavity for the sense organs. The bones of the facial skull make up the bone basis of the face and the skeleton of the initial sections of the respiratory and digestive systems. The bones of the brain skull include eight bones: two pairs - temporal and parietal and four unpaired- frontal, ethmoid, wedge-shaped and occipital.
Part of the bones of the facial skull makes up the skeleton chewing apparatus: paired maxilla and unpaired lower jaw. Other facial bones are smaller. This paired bones: palatine, nasal, lacrimal, zygomatic, inferior nasal concha, to unpaired are vomer and hyoid bone.
frontal bone participates in the formation of the anterior part of the cranial vault and the anterior cranial fossa: The frontal bone consists of the frontal scales, orbital and nasal parts. The frontal scales are involved in the formation of the cranial vault. On the convex outer surface of the frontal bone are paired protrusions - forehead bumps, and lower - superciliary arches. The flat surface between the brow ridges is called glabella (glabella).
Parietal bone - a paired plate that forms the middle part of the cranial vault. It has a convex (outer) and concave (inner) surface:
The upper (sagittal) edge connects with the opposite parietal bone, the anterior (frontal) and posterior (occipital) - respectively with the frontal and occipital bones. The scales of the temporal bone (squamous bone) are superimposed on the lower edge of the parietal bone. Relief inner surface parietal bone is due to the adjacent dura mater and its vessels.
Occipital bone(os occipitale) consists of the basilar and two lateral parts, the occipital scales: They surround the large occipital foramen, through which the cranial cavity is connected to the spinal canal. Anterior to the large occipital foramen is the main (basilar) part of the occipital bone, which, fused with the body of the sphenoid bone, forms a somewhat inclined surface - slope
On the lower surface of the lateral (lateral) parts is occipital condyle, employee for connection with I cervical vertebra. Basilar and lateral parts and lower divisions The occipital scales are involved in the formation of the base of the skull (posterior fossa), where the cerebellum and other brain structures are located.
The occipital scales are involved in the formation of the cranial vault. In the center of its inner surface is a cruciform elevation, which forms the internal occipital protrusion. The serrated edge of the scales is connected with the lambdoid suture. parietal and temporal bones.
Ethmoid bone together with other bones, it takes part in the formation of the anterior part of the base of the brain skull, the walls of the orbits and the nasal cavity of the facial part of the skull.
The bone consists of a cribriform plate, from which a perpendicular plate extends downward, participating in the formation of the septum of the nasal cavity. On both sides of the perpendicular plate are lattice labyrinths consisting of air cells. There are three pairs of ethmoid cells that connect to the nasal cavity: anterior, middle and posterior.
Sphenoid bone located between the frontal and occipital bones and is located in the center of the base of the skull: In shape, this bone resembles a butterfly. It consists of a body and three paired processes: large and small wings and pterygoid processes. On the upper surface body of the bone there is a depression (turkish saddle), in which the main endocrine gland is located - pituitary. In the body of the sphenoid bone there is a sinus that connects to the nasal cavity. From the anterior superior surface of the sphenoid bone, two small wings depart to the sides, at the base of each there is a large opening of the optic canal, through which it passes into the orbit optic nerve. Between the small and large wings is the superior orbital fissure, through which the oculomotor, lateral, and abducens nerves pass from the cranial cavity to the orbit. ophthalmic nerve- I branch of the trigeminal nerve.
Temporal bone - a paired bone, which is part of the base of the skull and the lateral part of the cranial vault, connects in front with the sphenoid, behind - with the occipital and above - with the parietal bones. The temporal bone is container for the organs of hearing and balance, vessels and nerves pass through its channels. With the lower jaw, the temporal bone forms a joint, and with zygomatic bone- zygomatic arch.
On the inner surface of the squamous part there are finger-like depressions and cerebral eminences, a trace of the middle meningeal artery is visible.
On the outer convex surface of the scaly part, somewhat higher and anterior to the external auditory opening, a horizontally located zygomatic process begins. At the base of the latter is the mandibular fossa, with which the condylar process of the mandible forms a joint.
Pyramid (rocky part) the temporal bone has a trihedral shape. Behind the external opening of the carotid canal, the jugular fossa is visible, which in the region of the posterior edge of the pyramid passes into the jugular notch. The jugular notches of the temporal and occipital bones, when they are connected, on the whole skull form jugular foramen through which the internal jugular vein and three cranial nerve: glossopharyngeal, vagus and accessory.
In the pyramid of the temporal bone, the carotid and facial canals, as well as the tubule of the tympanic string, the tympanic tubule, the mastoid tubule, the carotid-tympanic tubules, in which the vessels, nerves and the muscle straining the eardrum are located, are located.
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The skull is a collection of tightly connected bones and forms a cavity in which the vital organs are located.
The brain part of the skull is formed by the occipital, sphenoid, parietal, ethmoid, frontal and temporal bones.The sphenoid bone is located in the center of the base of the skull and has a body from which processes extend: large and small wings, pterygoid processes.The body of the sphenoid bone has six surfaces: anterior, inferior, superior, posterior, and two lateral.The large wing of the sphenoid bone has three openings at the base: round, oval and spinousThe lesser wing has an anterior inclined process on the medial side.The pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone has lateral and medial plates fused in front.
Occipital bone has a basilar part, lateral parts and scales. Connecting, these departments form a large occipital foramen.The lateral part of the occipital bone has an occipital condyle on its lower surface. Above the condyles passes the hypoglossal canal, behind the condyle is the fossa of the same name, at the bottom of which is the condylar canal.The occipital scales of the occipital bone have an external occipital protrusion in the center of the outer surface from which the crest of the same name descends.
frontal bone consists of the nasal and orbital parts and the frontal scales, which occupy most of the cranial vault. The nasal part of the frontal bone on the sides and in front limits the ethmoid notch. The median line of the anterior part of this part ends with the nasal spine, to the right and left of which is the aperture of the frontal sinus, which leads to the right and left frontal sinuses. Right part the orbital part of the frontal bone is separated from the left ethmoid notch
Parietal bone has four edges: occipital, frontal, sagittal and scaly. The parietal bone forms the upper lateral vaults of the skull.
Temporal bone is a receptacle for the organs of balance and hearing. The temporal bone, connecting with the zygomatic bone, forms the zygomatic arch. The temporal bone consists of three parts: squamous, tympanic and petrosal.
The ethmoid bone consists of the ethmoid labyrinth, the ethmoid and perpendicular plates.The ethmoid labyrinth of the ethmoid bone consists of communicating ethmoid cells.
