Human skull. Profile of the skull from a female skeleton placed on a wooden surface. At top is the rounded cranium which houses the brain. The face is at left with eye-sockets, sinus air spaces, and jaw clearly visible. A zygomatic arch forms the cheek bone, while the maxillae of the upper jaw bear teeth. The lower jaw is the mandible. In mammals the skull consists of 22 bones fixed together by rigid joints called sutures. Together these bones provide protection for the brain, support for the organs of sight, smell and hearing.