Where the parietal bone sits in the skeleton
The parietal bone is one of a pair of flat bones forming the top and upper sides of the skull, covering the upper brain. It is one of the bones of the skull and hyoid. The two parietal bones meet each other along the top of the head at the sagittal suture, the frontal bone in front at the coronal suture, and the occipital bone behind at the lambdoid suture.
Frequently asked questions
Which part of the skeleton is the parietal bone in?
The parietal bone is one of the bones of the skull and hyoid. This group covers the bones that enclose the brain, the bones that frame the face, and the hyoid at the front of the neck.
How many bones are in the skull?
The skull has 22 bones: eight cranial bones that enclose the brain and fourteen facial bones that frame the face. The hyoid in the front of the neck is a separate bone that forms no joint with any other bone.
Is there one parietal bone or a pair?
The parietal bone is paired: there is one on the left and one on the right, and this page covers both.
Which sutures join the parietal bones to their neighbours?
The sagittal suture between the two parietals, the coronal suture with the frontal bone, the lambdoid suture with the occipital bone and the squamous suture with the temporal bone.
Other bones of the skull and hyoid
- Frontal bone
- Temporal bone
- Occipital bone
- Sphenoid bone
- Ethmoid
- Zygomatic bone
- Maxilla
- Mandible
- Nasal bone
- Lacrimal bone
- Palatine bone
- Vomer
- Inferior nasal concha
- Hyoid bone
Bone counts
By region
Read more
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