# What is the occipital bone?

The occipital bone is called the occipital bone. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a single trapezoid-shaped bone that forms the back and lower part of the skull.

## What it means

- A single trapezoid-shaped bone that forms the back and lower part of the skull.
- Contains the large opening (foramen magnum) through which the spinal cord passes.
- Bears two rounded knobs (occipital condyles) on which the atlas rests.

## Action steps

1. At the back and base of the skull.
2. Joins the two parietal bones above and the two temporal bones on the sides.
3. Its condyles sit on top of the atlas.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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