The axial skeleton includes the bones of the skull, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum. The skull has 22 bones that form the cranium and face. The cranium contains the brain and sense organs and is formed by the occipital, parietal, frontal, temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones. These bones have markings that indicate muscle attachments and openings for blood vessels and cranial nerves. The face contains 14 bones, including the paired maxillae, palatine, nasal, zygomatic, lacrimal, and conchae bones, as well as the single vomer and mandible bones.