The “temple” is a widely recognized term for a region of the head, yet its precise anatomical and medical significance is often misunderstood. This area represents a specific, depressed zone on the side of the skull, which is far more complex than its superficial appearance suggests. Understanding the anatomy beneath the skin reveals why this part of the body holds a unique position in human vulnerability. This region is a junction point where multiple bones converge and houses a major blood vessel.
Defining the Temple: Location and Boundaries
The temple is the flattened, slightly hollowed area on the side of the head, situated between the eye and the ear. Its physical boundaries are defined by surrounding facial and cranial structures. Specifically, the area extends from behind the lateral edge of the eye socket, or orbit, and reaches upward toward the hairline.
Its lower boundary is marked by the bony arch of the cheekbone, known as the zygomatic arch. The temple stretches back until it meets the ear, forming the most anterior part of the side of the head. This region is clinically referred to as the temporal fossa, a depression that accommodates the temporalis muscle, one of the primary muscles used for chewing.
The Critical Anatomy of the Temple Region
The underlying skeletal structure of the temple is defined by the convergence of four different skull bones. This meeting point is known as the Pterion, an H-shaped junction of sutures on the side of the cranium. The bones that articulate here are:
- The frontal bone (forehead)
- The parietal bone (top of the head)
- The squamous part of the temporal bone (side of the head)
- The greater wing of the sphenoid bone
The Pterion is located roughly two finger-widths above the zygomatic arch and a thumb’s width behind the process extending toward the forehead. At this junction, the skull bone is notably thin, especially the greater wing of the sphenoid bone. This thinness makes the Pterion the most fragile point in the entire skull. Beneath the bone, the large temporalis muscle originates, helping to move the jaw.
Why the Temple is Vulnerable to Injury
The thinness of the bone at the Pterion relates directly to the medical risks associated with trauma to the temple. Immediately deep to this fragile bony junction runs the Middle Meningeal Artery (MMA). This artery supplies blood to the dura mater, the tough outer membrane covering the brain.
A forceful blow to the temple, even one that does not cause an obvious skull deformation, can easily fracture the thin bone at the Pterion. When this fracture occurs, sharp bone fragments can lacerate or tear the Middle Meningeal Artery. The resulting rapid arterial bleeding collects in the space between the skull and the dura mater, forming a life-threatening condition known as an epidural hematoma.
Because the bleeding is from an artery, the blood pressure quickly forces the collection of blood to expand inward, putting immense and sudden pressure on the brain. This rapid compression of brain tissue can lead to unconsciousness, neurological damage, and death if not treated immediately by surgical intervention. The location of the MMA beneath the skull’s weakest point makes the temple an especially dangerous site for impact injuries.
The Origin of the Name “Temple”
The anatomical term “temple” has a separate origin from the word that refers to a place of worship. The name is derived from the Latin word tempus, which carries the dual meaning of “time” and the side of the head. This connection to time is thought to stem from two primary observations of the body.
One theory suggests the name is related to the visible pulsing of the superficial temporal artery in this region. This rhythmic beat was interpreted as a physical marker of the passage of time.
Alternatively, the name may reference the fact that the hair at the temples is often the first to turn gray as a person ages, symbolically reflecting the advance of time. The adjective form, “temporal,” is still used today to describe anything related to this area of the head, such as the temporal bone and the temporal lobe of the brain.