The points on the vault of the cranium, along the sagittal line, are:

  1. The nasion (point of union of the nasal and frontal bones).
  2. The ophryon (middle point of the line tangent to the two superciliary arches, a line corresponding to the horizontal drawn transversely across the forehead and passing through the two points on the temporal lines which are nearest to the median line. This point lies in an important region of the forehead, situated between the two eyebrows—the glabella. The central point of the middle region of the forehead above the glabella is called the metopion).
  3. The bregma (point of juncture between the coronal and sagittal suture).
  4. The vertex.
  5. The lambda (point of juncture between the sagittal suture and the occipital or lambdoid suture).
  6. The occipital point.
  7. The inion (situated at a level midway between the occipital point and the occipital foramen).

Laterally we have these other craniometric points:

  1. The external orbital apophysis (formed from the frontal bone).
  2. The supra-auricular point.
  3. The auricular point (corresponding to a little depression which may be felt just below the tragus and in correspondence with the zygomatic arches).
  4. The minimum frontal point (a bony angle which may be felt about 1 centimetre above the external orbital apophysis, along the temporal line).

On a living person the following points can easily be located:

Along the sagittal line:

  1. The nasion.
  2. The ophryon.
  3. The vertex.
  4. The occipital point.

Laterally:

  1. The external orbital apophysis.
  2. The supra-auricular point.
  3. The auricular point.
  4. The minimum frontal point.

Now, with these points as guides it becomes practical to measure the various curves and diameters of the cranium. The curves are measured by means of the millimetric tape; the diameters by means of the calipers.