AnatomyHead and neckSkull

Temporal bone: want to learn more about it?

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Temporal bone

Learning objectives:

This study unit will help you to:

1. Locate the temporal bone on different views of the skull.
2. Name the three main parts of the temporal bone and their features.
3. Identify the neurovascular structures and organs related to the bony features of the temporal bone.
4. Identify the bones that articulate with the temporal bone.

Watch videos

The temporal bone is a complex cranial bone that constitutes a large portion of the lateral wall and base of the skull. There are a number of openings and canals in the temporal bone through which structures enter and exit the cranial cavity. The temporal bone also houses the structures forming the middle and inner ear.

This video tutorial will provide you with an overview of the temporal bone.

Take a quiz

Now that you have watched the video about the temporal bone, solidify your knowledge by taking our quiz.

To shift your focus and choose the topics you’ll get quizzed on, try out our customizable quiz:

Browse atlas

The temporal bone is a bone located bilaterally on either side of the skull. It is composed of three main parts, these being the squamous part, tympanic part and petrous part. The image above shows the isolated temporal bone from three different perspectives. The illustration on the left shows the temporal bone from the lateral perspective (the portion located on the external surface of the skull), the illustration on the right shows its medial aspect (the part located inside the skull), whereas the illustration at the top of the image shows the temporal bone viewed from the inferior perspective. The temporal bone articulates with a number of other flat bones of the skull via fibrous joints also known as sutures; with the occipital bone via the occipitomastoid suture, with parietal bone via the squamous suture, with sphenoid bone via the sphenosquamous suture and with zygomatic bone via the zygomaticotemporal suture. Additionally, it articulates with the mandible via the temporomandibular joint (hinge joint). This image shows you an overview of the important bony features that you can find on the temporal bone.

Now you can look at the each feature of the temporal bone in more detail with our image gallery:

Summary

Key points about the temporal bone
Main parts	Petrous part Tympanic part Squamous part
Articulations	Occipital bone, parietal bone, sphenoid bone, zygomatic bone and mandible
Fissures	Petrotympanic fissure Petrosquamous fissure Tympanosquamous fissure Tympanomastoid fissure
Bony features	Petrous part: occipital margin, mastoid process, mastoid notch, mastoid foramen, apex of petrous part, carotid canal, tegmen tympani, arcuate eminence, bony labyrinth, tegmen tympani, internal acoustic meatus, subarcuate fossa, jugular fossa, styloid process, stylomastoid foramen, groove for sigmoid sinus, tympanic cavity Tympanic part: bony external acoustic opening, bony external acoustic meatus Squamous part: sphenoidal margin, parietal margin, parietal notch, groove for middle temporal artery, zygomatic process, mandibular fossa, articular tubercle, groove for middle meningeal artery

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Continue your learning

Now that you're familiar with the general organization of the temporal bone, continue your learning by reading about the base of the skull from different perspectives.