höfuðkúpubein

Hofuðkúpubein are the bones that make up the skull. The human skull is composed of 22 bones, divided into the cranium and the facial skeleton. The cranium encloses and protects the brain. It is formed by eight bones: the frontal bone, two parietal bones, two temporal bones, the occipital bone, the sphenoid bone, and the ethmoid bone. The facial skeleton comprises 14 bones that form the structure of the face, including the mandible (lower jaw), maxilla (upper jaw), zygomatic bones (cheekbones), nasal bones, lacrimal bones, palatine bones, inferior nasal conchae, and vomer. These bones are joined together by immovable joints called sutures, except for the mandible which is attached by a movable joint allowing for chewing and speech. The skull's primary functions are to protect the brain from injury and to provide a framework for the facial features. In infants, some of these bones are not fully fused, allowing for growth and passage through the birth canal; these unfused areas are called fontanelles.